Love and War
by A.J. Kelly
Summary: Passing through Maria's territory, Edward meets Jasper and instantly knows they are mates. Jasper, though, is trapped fighting a war he desperately wants to get out of. Edward is determined to save him, but Maria doesn't want to lose her weapon. Slash, AU, Complete.
1. Prologue

_A/N: Hello everyone, I'm back! This is just a short prologue and I'm hoping to get the first chapter out before the end of the weekend (hopefully tonight, but...) So, again, this story will contain Edward/Jasper slash, adult content, and infrequent updates. I just started a seasonal job as a customer service rep and I hate it and it's exhausting because I seriously suck at it, so whenever I return home, I'm too tired to write. But, hopefully I'll get better. Or they'll fire me and it won't matter... Is it bad that I'm hoping for the firing?_

Summary: Passing through Maria's territory, Edward meets Jasper and immediately knows they are mates. Jasper, however, is trapped; fighting a war he desperately wants to get away from. Edward is determined to save him, but Maria doesn't want to lose her greatest weapon. Vampire, Slash, Adult Content.

Disclaimer: The _Twilight Series_ and all recognisable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended. Only this rather lame plot is mine.

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><p><span>Prologue, 1923<span>

It had been months since Edward had left Carlisle and Esme, desperately seeking some kind of identity and understanding. He wasn't trying to be rebellious, though it certainly looked that way. What he wanted was just a place where he belonged.

He was tired of being the other person between Carlisle and Esme, and he was frustrated with this stagnant, stifled life. Every place they went they had to hide what they really were. It was an entire life revolving around pretending to be something – someone—else.

That wasn't good enough for Edward. If he had to live a cursed existence, he at least wanted to live it how he chose. It was for that reason that he set out on his own. He had promised Carlisle and Esme that he would return home someday, but he hadn't been sure if he was lying or not. Where was home, anyway? And if home was a place where he had to pretend to be human, refrain from their natural diet, and suffer daily to resist what his body naturally longed for, why would he want to go back to that?

Despite what he had told Carlisle, he wasn't leaving because he wanted to taste the blood of humans. Sure a part of him was curious about what it would taste like. It must be _exquisite_ compared to animal blood – not that he minded animal blood, either. Edward hadn't been much of an eater even in life, and that appeared to be something that had carried over in death.

But it was easier to explain _that_ to Carlisle than to tell him that he felt trapped and forlorn. Edward had always been the type of person that had to know all the options available before he could settle into the best fit for him. So that was what he was doing: exploring all his options.

They had been living in the mountains of Montana when Edward left, and it was agreed that Edward would keep a post box in a town a few miles away. That way if Edward weren't back before Carlisle and Esme left, they would have a way of letting him know where to find them.

Edward left at night and went straight east. He had always wanted to see New England, and he spent several weeks travelling around and studying the history. He tried human blood, but found that reading his victims thoughts was too traumatising for him, so he usually stuck to the animal diet unless a particular bastard came along that he didn't feel bad about killing.

After New England, Edward travelled south to see the Gulf of Mexico and the beauty of an ocean. New Orleans was a particularly wonderful place, where Edward encountered other vampires, like himself.

It was in New Orleans that Edward learned of the Southern Territory Wars.

The wars between feuding covens were brutal and seemingly never ending. When Edward had told them that his next stop was Texas, he was warned against it. The war in Texas had gotten so bad that humans and vampires alike could enter a territory and never be seen again. Rumours differed on whether they were killed outright or forced to participate, but all agreed that unless one had a death wish, it was best to avoid Texas at all costs.

Usually Edward was cautious and obsequious, but Texas piqued his dormant curiosity and newfound adventurous nature. He left the next morning and thanks to vampire speed he was in Texas by nightfall.

It was days before he noticed anything odd. He had paid for a room at a motel in a small town, because even though he was 'finding himself' and 'being rebellious' he still wasn't one for roughing it outdoors. Not to mention that even though he didn't sleep he did need somewhere to go at night when everything was closed.

Three nights after he arrived, Edward was out late hunting when he picked up the scent of other vampires. Heeding the warnings, he cautiously followed the scent into a heavily wooded area. He hid behind a rock and watched what looked like a battle being fought. Edward could recognise the newborn strength in most of them, and he could only assume that these were the humans that disappeared. They had been turned into monsters, their soul purpose in existence only to fight and inevitably die. A pang of sympathy went through Edward as he watched them battle.

It would have been bloody had any of them had blood to lose. Instead when the battle was over and the severed parts and dead bodies were swept into a pile and burnt, it was like nothing had ever happened. Edward stayed hidden behind the rock for hours, unable to process the horror that he had seen.

He couldn't imagine anyone actually wanting this to be their life. Did they know any better? Had anyone given them the option to not fight in this battle? Edward doubted it and in many ways, that made it worse. They were merely pawns in some general's thirst for power.

He raced back to the motel when he heard others coming his way, but the image of the tragic battle stayed with him. Had he been smarter, Edward would have left town immediately. This certainly wasn't his war and he didn't want to stick around long enough for someone to make it his. But he didn't.

It would become the best and worst decision of his immortal life.


	2. Chapter One: Meeting

_A/N: Look at this quick update! Fair warning though, this'll probably be the last time an update is this quick. Sorry. So again, I'll emphasis: Infrequent updates!_

_Thanks for the response to the prologue, I honestly wasn't expecting that much. Hopefully this chapter will be good enough to tempt you in further. _

_Also this chapter features a Jasper with a bit of a mouth on him. Enjoy!_

Disclaimer: The _Twilight Series_ and all recognisable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended. Only this rather lame plot is mine.

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><p><span>Chapter One: Meeting<span>

Edward was planning on having an easy day today. Over the past several days, he had pressed himself to see so much that what he really needed was some time alone. Well, he was always alone, but he needed some introspective time. Usually he avoided that like the plague. The last thing he needed was to start thinking. Thinking led to thoughts of Carlisle and Esme. Thinking led to guilt. Yes, thinking was something Edward could definitely do without.

But he longed for a day where he could sit and read a book. There was a small bookstore that he had scoped out the day before and he was planning on going back to buy some books for him to read – though for a vampire a days worth of reading could total more than twenty books, depending on their speed. The shop owner told him of another forest an hour away that had some remarkable views, and Edward decided that it would be the perfect place for a relaxing day.

He reached the forest fifteen minutes later, and sat beneath a tree looking out over a lake. There were some families here with their children and Edward wondered if any of these people had lost their family members because of this war.

It was remarkable to think that an entire war was being fought in their town and the humans knew nothing about it. Some of that could be chalked up to humanities' inability to notice and understand things beyond their own limited comprehension. Had they seen anything out of the ordinary, a human would assume it to be a trick of the light, or a mild hallucination, or even a ghost. But never what it actually was.

However, it was also surprising that the vampire leaders had kept so tight a rein on the infant vampires that they hadn't exposed the secret. That was a feat in and of itself. Vampires, especially newborns, were hard to control, volatile, and wilful. It was a strong and dangerous person that could keep a newborn army in check. Edward shuddered to think who that vampire might be.

Edward forced his mind to focus solely on the book, and soon lost himself in philosophy and history. When he finally came back to himself it was pitch black and he was alone in the forest. Cursing at his stupidity, Edward quickly packed his small bag with all his possessions and made his way to the entrance of the forest.

Just as he was about to leave a noise caught his attention. He took a deep breath and alarm shot through his body when he smelled the scents of a large group of vampires. It smelled and sounded like they were to the right of him.

Edward vacillated between checking it out and running away, but eventually his curiosity got the better of him. So for the second time in a week, Edward found himself sneaking into a battle.

This time there were more on both sides. They tore at each other, ripping others apart with their hands and teeth. Three vampires stood off to the side, coldly observing the newborns' massacre. One was a woman with long pitch-black hair, the other a brunette, and finally a man with blond curls.

As Edward watched he saw the blond man stiffen and quickly turn around, eyes zeroed in precisely where Edward was hiding. Edward ducked between bushes, but it was too late. The man muttered something to the black-haired woman then spun around and stalked towards Edward.

So Edward did the only thing he could think of. He ran.

He was almost to the edge of the forest when he was slammed up against a tree with a hand around his neck.

"Who the fuck are you?" The blond man growled, his face inches from Edward's.

But Edward couldn't talk, he could only stare and breathe in the scent coming off the vampire in front of him. His jaw was cut elegantly like a sculpture, one blond curl dropping into his face that held a pointed nose, and one look at his hell-fire eyes convinced Edward that this man was the reason he came to Texas.

"What are you doing here?" The vampire asked again.

When Edward didn't say anything, the vampire pressed his nose into the crook of Edward's neck and breathed deep. It took everything in Edward not to shudder like his body wanted. Now Edward could really smell the vampire and it was the best thing he had ever smelled, including human blood. Magnolia, cut wood, and a lingering hint of grass – a combination perfectly suited for one who spent their time outside.

"You don't smell like anyone around here," the vampire commented. He tightened his grip around Edward's throat, "So again, I'll ask you, what the fuck you're doing here?"

"I just heard voices, I swear," Edward rasped out. The hand tightened again and the vampire slammed Edward's head against the tree.

"Wrong answer, vagrant. Now we'll try this again. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I'm just passing through. Vacation and history and whatnot. I didn't see anything," Edward quickly said, trying to assure the vampire that he wouldn't say anything.

"Now why would you assume I didn't want you to see something?"

Edward was beginning to panic. He wanted to fight back, but he couldn't very well do that with a hand around his neck. One quick flex of the other vampire's hand could possibly snap his head off. Edward wanted his head to stay where it was, thank you very much.

"Look, I swear, I'm just passing through. I smelled you guys, I heard you and wondered what was going on. I don't want trouble. I won't say a word."

"Then why did I smell your scent two days ago at the location of another battle?"

Edward faltered as his brain worked to think of an excuse. He tried reading the vampire's mind to figure out what he wanted to hear, but his mind was a jumble of interrogation techniques, wondering what he would do to him, and, what surprised Edward the most, weariness and regret.

"I was hunting," Edward explained. "I accidently came across some vampires fighting. I stayed out of it and went on my way. I'm not looking for trouble."

"Why were you hunting in a forest? There aren't humans around here."

"I eat animals, not humans." Edward heard the disbelief in the vampire's mind. "Really, I drink primarily animal blood. That's why I was in the forest."

_You can do that?_ Edward heard flit through his mind. The vampire had never heard of that before – he thought drinking humans was the only option available. Yet he was war weary, Edward could tell, and another life not filled with violence and killing appealed to him. Edward felt himself more drawn to him; something about this vampire's mind was beautiful. He was just as lost as Edward, though their circumstances were vastly different. He, like Edward, just wanted to survive in a way that made him happy. However, unlike Edward, the vampire had never been given the option of another life. This was all he knew.

Outwardly, though, the vampire was cold and terrifying. He studied Edward for several moments, and Edward heard him trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not.

_He's scared. And lonely._ Edward's eyes widened when he heard the other's thoughts. How did he know that?

The vampire opened his mouth to say something, when there was a noise from the trees.

"Jasper," came a cry. "Jasper, where did you go? We're ready to leave and Maria's pissed you left."

_Tell Maria to go to hell,_ the vampire thought defiantly. Edward couldn't help but agree; he didn't want this vampire – Jasper – to go to this woman. Edward knew that he was supposed to find Jasper, and he somehow knew this woman would try to keep them apart.

Jasper let go of Edward and backed away from him. "If you know what's good for you, I won't see you around here again. If I do, I won't be able to help you. Mind your own business and leave this town."

Then with a flash Jasper was gone, and Edward was left alone.

On the walk back to the motel, Edward considered Jasper's advice. He thought about leaving, but that was instantly flung from his mind. He couldn't leave. Something told him that Jasper was his mate, and he knew he had to stay close by him.

Edward didn't know how he knew Jasper was his mate, he just knew. Carlisle had told him that when he first met Esme, he had felt a deep, instant connection with her. He wasn't sure what it was at first; he only knew that he had to be a part of her life. It was only once she awoke and she reciprocated, that they figured out they were mates.

Had Jasper felt a connection to him?

There wasn't any way to know that if Edward never saw him again. And just like that, his mind was made up. He wouldn't be leaving Texas anytime soon. Not until he got to know Jasper and give him the option of coming with him.

Besides, it was clear from the few moments Edward had been able to read his mind that Jasper didn't like being a part of the war. He was intrigued by a life of safety and nonviolence. Edward would give him that. He would give Jasper anything he wanted. Even if that meant putting his life in danger.

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><p>Two days later he was hunting when he smelled Jasper. It was the first time he had seen him since he had been pressed against a tree beneath him – though certainly not in a way that appealed to Edward – and Edward felt the excitement at seeing his mate well up in him.<p>

He had spent the past two days trying to decide how to approach Jasper. For obvious reasons, coming straight out with the truth and admitting that he thought they were mates was out. So Edward decided that he would be Jasper's friend first. It was quite obvious to him that Jasper needed someone. Someone to listen to him, someone to care for him… someone to love him.

Edward tried to smell anyone around Jasper, but it seemed he was alone. Without another thought, Edward rushed towards the smell. As he got closer he searched Jasper's mind and it was confirmed that Jasper was alone. He was running patrols before he had to report to Maria.

Maria, Edward assumed, was the bitch general that was ruining all these peoples' lives… including that of his mates. For that she would pay.

Edward wasn't paying attention at all to where he was going and before he knew it, Edward slammed into another hard body. Edward looked up and saw Jasper's red eyes glaring down at him.

"You," he snarled, "I thought I told you to leave."

"Er, yeah. Yeah, I know you did, but –"

"But you're still here."

"Well I thought about what you said and then I decided I couldn't leave," Edward explained lamely.

He really didn't want to have this conversation sitting, so Edward reached out his hand, silently asking for Jasper to help him up. Jasper's eyes narrowed in response and he crossed his arms across his chest. Sighing, Edward hoisted himself off the ground and brushed off his trousers. Jasper remained silent the whole time, though Edward thought he heard some quiet thoughts of attraction from Jasper when he brushed leaves off his ass.

"I just… I just thought you could use someone to talk to," Edward admitted, laying most of his cards on the table. Aside from the mate thing, Edward wanted to be as honest with Jasper as he possibly could. Jasper didn't seem like the most trusting person and Edward didn't think lying to him would be the best way to start off their friendship.

"What?"

"You just seemed… well, I thought that you could talk to me about things. See, I read minds, and –" His words were cut off as, once again, Edward found himself pressed against a tree with a hand wrapped around his throat.

"Listen to me, you little –"

"Edward," he managed to gasp out.

The grip loosened as Jasper's glare flickered in confusion for a moment. "Excuse me?"

"Edward. My name's Edward."

Jasper faltered for a moment, but quickly regained himself, "I don't give a fuck what your name is. I warned you to get out of here. This place isn't for you, so leave."

He dropped Edward and turned away, but Edward couldn't let him go. "Wait!" Jasper stopped and even though he didn't turn around, Edward smiled at him. "I know this isn't the place for me. But I don't think it's for you either."

That got the other vampire's attention and he whirled around, eyes blazing, and stalked towards Edward. "Who the fuck do you think you are? You don't know me."

"I'm not saying that I do, I just –"

"Are you a spy?"

"What? No!"

"Then why the fuck do I keep finding you here?"

"Because I want to help you!" Edward yelled.

Jasper turned back around, "I'm beyond help, so why don't you just fuck off."

"I can't," Edward said. He took a step closer to Jasper, cautiously, like approaching a skittish animal. "Don't you feel it? Don't you feel it when you look at me?"

Jasper noticeably stiffened and took a step away from Edward. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Get the fuck away."

"I can't leave you. I won't. Please… I just want to be your friend. I just want to talk with you."

"And I just want you to get the hell away from me."

"Fine, I'll make you a deal. You talk to me and I'll leave you alone."

Jasper's shoulders loosened, and Edward couldn't help the smug smile that crossed his face. Pleased at getting his mate's attention, Edward took a step towards Jasper and managed to catch Jasper's wrist to hold him in place.

"I swear I'll leave you alone. If you want me to," Edward added as an after thought. It just meant he'd have to make sure Jasper didn't want him to leave.

Jasper studied Edward, and Edward could hear his thoughts start to give in to his request. Jasper did want someone to talk to – not about the war, but about himself. And he was drawn to Edward. His thoughts made Edward practically preen with pleasure and determination.

"I can't talk now," Jasper just said.

"Fine, then later?" Jasper nodded, but when he tried to leave, Edward tightened his grip, not willing to let him go until he had a definite time and place for when they would meet. "When?"

Jasper was silent, then he yanked his hand from Edward's grasp and rubbed his wrist. "Tonight. At the forest from last time. Don't come here! You're too close to our settlement. I'll be there about midnight."

"I'll be there," Edward promised.

Jasper didn't say anything more as he raced away into the trees. Edward stood there for what could have been hours, staring at the place where Jasper used to stand and savouring the lingering feeling of Jasper's skin beneath his own. That's when it hit him: he got to see Jasper again. Not only did he get to see Jasper again, but it was something Jasper had actually agreed to!

It took everything in him not to jump up and down and punch the air like a kid. Instead he raced back to the motel to take a shower and find his nicest clothes. He had to impress his mate.

At midnight he was ready and waiting at the entrance of the forest, right where Jasper had said. He bounced on the balls of his feet, impatient to see Jasper and speak with him. Edward had spent the rest of the day neurotically showering and making sure he looked his absolute best.

It was an odd feeling for Edward to want to impress someone. Usually he couldn't care less what other people thought of him, but he desperately wanted Jasper to like him, to want him… to love him. So every hair had to be in place, and Edward had even borrowed an iron from the motel housekeeping to make sure his clothes were wrinkle-free. And he looked impeccable if he did say so himself.

He smelled Jasper before he heard him, and his thoughts followed soon after. Confusion, annoyance, and anger were foremost in his mind, but Edward could also find relief and a subtle thankfulness at having someone to listen to him.

Then Jasper stood before him, staring warily and expectantly. Edward tried to think of something to say – anything to say, so long as words were leaving his mouth – but all he could do was stare at Jasper and wonder what the hell had happened to him.

Jasper's clothes were dirtied and ripped, and traces of blood could be found on the collar and long sleeves of his shirt. There were also smears of dirt on his face, and a subtle darkness to his jaw. To human eyes, the bruise would be impossible to see, however to a vampire, that bruise spoke volumes about not only the powerful person who put it there, but the powerful vampire that had withstood the assault and only had some lingering discolouration to show for it. Had Edward not known it before, this would have told him exactly how dangerous Jasper could be.

But Edward couldn't think of that right now. He leapt forward and turned Jasper's jaw towards him. "What happened?"

Jasper wrenched away from Edward's grasp and backed away until there were feet between them. "It's none of your business. I'm only here to give you what you want so you stay away from me."

"You telling me what happened is now a part of what I want," Edward said, growling at the idea that someone could hurt his mate. "So tell me."

"No, like I said, it's not any of your business. Now pick something else to talk about so we can get the fuck away from each other and I can get back to my life."

"Really? I have a hard time believing that you want to get back to fighting and killing."

"You don't know me, so how could you know what I do and don't want?"

"Well I told you I read minds, so…"

"So you think that means you know everything about me?"

"No, not everything. Only what you tell me. And right now you're telling me that you're tired and you want out."

Jasper was silent, so Edward pressed his point. "Like I said, I just want to listen to you. Help you."

"You can't help me."

"I'd like to try."

"Look, I'm beyond anyone's help. You'd be much better off finishing your little vacation and going back to wherever you came from and forgetting all about me."

"I can't do that," Edward said, shaking his head. "I can't forget you." Jasper's face completely closed off, and Edward sighed. He didn't think Jasper would be this difficult to get through to. He had thought that, when presented with the truth of his thoughts, Jasper would at least admit that he needed someone. Instead, it seemed to make Jasper more resolved in his belief that no one could help him.

"Who's Maria?" Edward blurted out.

"My commander," Jasper said, blandly. He sat on the ground at the base of a tree and propped his arms on his knees.

"So she's in charge?"

"That is the definition of a commander."

Edward ignored Jasper's sardonic tone, knowing that if he were to bite back, Jasper would leave. "What were you doing today when we met?"

"You mean when you stupidly entered our territory to seek me out?"

"Yes, then," Edward said, keeping his tone light.

Jasper was silent for a while, and Edward thought he wasn't going to answer, until finally, Jasper spoke. "I was running patrols. Other… covens often send scouts to find a way in or attack an unsuspecting newborn that hasn't learned to be aware of what's going on around them. So we each have patrols to run to check for scouts."

"What do you do when you find them?" Edward asked warily, knowing as soon as the words were out of his mouth that he didn't want to know the answer.

Jasper quirked an eyebrow and drawled, "We kill them."

"So if I…"

"Had I thought you to be a scout, you'd already be dead."

"Well thanks for not killing me, then." Jasper's face tightened at Edward's joke, so he immediately tried to salvage the situation. "And what are you?"

"I'm a General."

"And that means?"

"I'm in command of the newborns."

Edward's habitual breath caught in his throat and he remembered watching the newborn fight, marvelling in terror at the vampire that controlled them. "That's you?"

"Yep."

"But…Why…" Edward stammered, not sure how to respond. On the one hand, he was astounded by how powerful his mate must be to be able to command and control the newborns. One the other hand, however, he was horrified that his mate could lead people to their slaughter. "How could you do that?"

Jasper's eyes took on a dangerous gleam. "What do you mean?"

"How could you train them, knowing their only purpose is to kill for you? How can you possibly live with yourself knowing you send people to their death? That's what you want to go back to? I'm offering you freedom and you want to go back to being a butcher?"

Jasper growled and was on his feet in an instant, launching himself at Edward. Edward had never seriously fought anyone other than animals, so he wasn't used to sophisticated battles. However he was used to pissed-off, instinctual, impulsive fighting, so when Jasper came flying at him, Edward quickly sprang to the side to avoid him and turned around, keeping his eyes trailed on Jasper's form for the next attack.

Jasper cursed and wheeled around to face Edward. His eyes were filled with hatred and anger, but Edward knew there was also pain hidden deep in there. His words had struck a chord with him, and Edward knew there was something in Jasper worth saving. Jasper didn't want to be the general and he resented being accused of leading people to their deaths.

Jasper charged again, but this time, when Edward went to avoid him, Jasper swerved and threw out an arm, catching Edward around his waist. Jasper swung Edward around and locked his arms around his waist, pulling Edward's back flush against Jasper's chest. His mouth was against Edward's ear, and Edward could hear the angered growls bursting forth from his lips.

For a moment, Jasper's lips brushing the curve of his ear distracted Edward, but eventually the words Jasper was speaking broke through his lust. "Never fucking call me that again. You think I chose this life? You think I was given a choice? I fucking do this to survive, so I'm sorry if that doesn't fit your idealised idea of who you want me to be."

"I wasn't… I didn't mean…" Edward stammered.

"You didn't mean to call me a murderer? A butcher?" Jasper spat. His grip tightened and Edward stopped trying to defend himself. "You want me to talk, well I'm talking. This is what I have to do. If it's not them, it's me. So yes, I'll happily lead them to the battlefield and watch them tear each other apart if it means I get another day. I don't give a fuck about them. I care about me and me only."

"I'm sorry," Edward whispered, "I didn't think –"

"Clearly." Jasper cut Edward off. He released Edward and pushed him away from him. Edward's vampire grace, though, managed to keep him upright.

"I am sorry," Edward repeated. "I don't think you're a monster. I was just shocked. I just don't understand how someone can do what you do."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does, please, I want to… well, not understand, because I don't think I can. But I do want you to be able to tell me these things."

"I still don't understand why you care."

"I just do," Edward said. He couldn't tell Jasper about being mates. He couldn't. Edward didn't know exactly how Jasper would react to that information, but he had a pretty good idea. And it wasn't pretty.

"Whatever. We're done here. You've had your talk; now pack up your shit and go. I don't ever want to see you again."

Jasper started moving into the forest and Edward panicked. "Wait! Please, when can we meet again?"

Shock ran through Jasper's mind, and Edward applauded himself at catching Jasper off guard. He knew that Jasper fully believed Edward would never want to see him again, and there was a small amount of sadness at that thought. "What?"

"When can we meet again? To talk?"

"That wasn't the deal. The deal was we talk once then you go away. We've talked, you've insulted me, I threatened you, now you go."

"I'm reneging on the deal. I'd like to see you again."

"I don't understand you at all," Jasper said in bemused astonishment.

"Please, once more," Edward begged. He could feel Jasper's barriers crumbling. Despite their earlier words, Jasper had enjoyed saying some of what was on his mind to someone who wouldn't judge him, or worse even, turn him in as a traitor. "Please," Edward said again, and he inwardly cheered when he heard Jasper's agreement in his mind.

"Fine, once more. Tomorrow. Same time, same place, but that's it." And then Jasper was gone.

This time Edward did punch the air in excitement, and he raced out of the forest thoughts of the next night already filling his mind.

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><p><em>AN: Thanks for reading! ~AJ Kelly_


	3. Chapter Two: Resistance

_A/N: Happy New Year! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! If I didn't respond to your review, I'm immensely sorry. For some reason FF wouldn't let me respond to most of them; it kept saying the link was out of date… even though it was only an hour old. I'm not technologically savvy enough to figure out what's wrong. Hopefully that won't happen this time. But I loved reading every single one of them! I'm so happy that you are all as excited about this fic as I am._

_I did have one reviewer ask if Jasper's POV would ever be told, and while in the planning stages, this was strictly going to be from Edward's POV, I think that hearing from Jasper will be necessary. Only he'll be able to show what the camp looks like, interactions with fellow vampires, etc. So yes, eventually Jasper will get his moment in the spotlight. I'm not exactly sure when that'll be, or how often, but it'll happen._

_This chapter is a bit shorter than the last one, but this seemed like the best place to end it. Thanks again for reading!_

Disclaimer: The Twilight Series and all recognisable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended. Only this rather lame plot is mine.

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><p><span>Chapter Two: Resistance<span>

The next night, Edward was an hour early and spent the entire time pacing back and forth. He was planning. Well, maybe 'planning' was too tame a word. 'Strategising' was probably more appropriate.

After talking with Jasper, Edward realised how difficult it really would be to get close to him. But that didn't matter. Edward was firm in his resolve to get Jasper to open up to him. Even though Edward had a sneaking suspicion that Jasper would test Edward's patience and possibly drive him to insanity. But he was definitely worth it.

Edward heard Jasper coming towards him, and he froze in anticipation. Jasper eyed him warily and made sure to keep a large distance between them. Edward took an impulsive step forward, but at Jasper's growl of warning, he quickly stepped back.

"I'm here, what do you want now?"

"To talk," Edward said. Wasn't that obvious?

"Stop saying that! I don't know what is up with you. Maybe you've been alone too long and you think I can make you feel better. But I'm sick of this."

"I'm not lonely," Edward insisted, even though he knew it was a lie. "I honestly only want to know you. There's something about you…" Edward purposely left the thought hang, hoping that Jasper would form his own conclusions about what that 'something' was.

"Yes you are, I can tell."

"Well, fine, I'm a little lonely. But not enough that I'm desperate. I just…"

_He's telling the truth,_ Jasper thought. Edward listened, and for once in his life, he didn't feel bad about listening on another person's private thoughts. What was once a hindrance was now the only way he could stay a step ahead of Jasper. _And he feels honest. I don't understand his interest, but he's genuinely interested._

Edward kept a straight face while he waited for Jasper to sort through his thoughts. Jasper didn't trust him at all, but there was an ever-growing part of him that was willing to risk possibly taking to a crazy person, as long as he had someone to talk to. He had a lonely life, just like Edward; one filled with hiding who he really was from the rest of the world, and his hard exterior was a necessary protection for him.

"Well what do you want to know?" Jasper asked, breaking through Edward's thoughts.

Edward smiled brilliantly. "What did you do today?"

"You want to know about my day?" Jasper clarified, sceptically.

"Yes."

"Well, let's see. I ran patrols, trained some newborns, ripped the head off one who refused to listen to me, ate, trained some more, fought with a rival clan, and then came here. How was your day?"

Edward could sense from the sarcasm that Jasper wasn't really interested in his day, which had mostly revolved around worried thoughts of their meeting and trying to keep himself occupied with sightseeing until it was time to head to the forest. Somehow that didn't seem like something Jasper would want to hear.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Jasper turned his head to look at Edward in the eyes.

"What?"

"You said you fought today. Are you okay?"

Jasper snorted and ran a hand through his blond curls. "Of course I'm okay. I wouldn't have made it this far if I couldn't hold my own against a few vampires."

"I wasn't doubting that you couldn't," Edward said, unwilling to let Jasper believe he thought less of him. "I just thought it would be nice to ask. I don't think people ever ask you if you're okay."

Jasper's eyes never left Edward's as he slowly sorted through Edward's words in his head. He didn't let any of this show, though, and his conclusions were muddled, so Edward couldn't tell what he really thought of it.

"So… did you spend all day here?" Jasper asked.

"No!" Edward exclaimed. He wasn't exactly sure why he cared so much about Jasper thinking he had spent the entire day there, pathetically waiting and hoping he would show up – even though he had done that, technically he hadn't done it there, so he didn't feel the need to bring it up. But for some reason, it was vastly important to him that Jasper didn't think he was… pathetic.

Jasper raised an eyebrow and clearly thought in his mind that he didn't believe him, but he let it drop. "So then what did you do?"

"I went sightseeing."

"And what did you see?"

"Historic sites. I went to the place of the Palmito Ranch Battlefield from the Civil War. There wasn't much there, but after reading about the civil war, I wanted to visit the site of the last land engagement of the war."

Jasper's face closed off and his mind began buzzing with images. "Oh, well that was an interesting place to visit."

"Yes, well, like I said, there isn't really anything there so I didn't spend much time there. But I couldn't come all this way and not see it. So afterwards, I went to Point Isabel to see the lighthouse."

Jasper hummed, distractedly, and Edward could 'hear' him debating something in his head, but again, he wasn't able to understand Jasper's flow of thoughts. Finally, Jasper looked up and after a moment's hesitation, he spoke, "I was there, you know."

"Where?" Edward asked, confused.

"The battle at Palmito Hill," Jasper softly said. "Johnston had already surrendered, but the Union troops attacked us, though none of us knew why, and we retaliated. I had made it all the way to the end of the war; I was so close to going home, but then…"

"Were you turned? Captured?"

Jasper's face closed off. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

"All right," Edward hesitantly agreed, knowing he needed to back off so he wouldn't scare Jasper away. He was thrilled that Jasper had shared something about him – regardless of how small a detail it was – and he wasn't going to press his luck. "So, are you from Texas?"

"Obviously," Jasper drawled, the Southern twang shooting straight to Edward's groin.

"Do you have family still?"

"Somewhere, I'm sure," Jasper shrugged, trying to act like he didn't care. "But I don't know them."

"I know what you mean," Edward said, trying to connect with Jasper somehow. "I didn't have siblings, but I had cousins. I bet there's family out there, but I never think about them. I was just curious if you knew of anyone because you still live in the same state."

"Distant relatives from my old life aren't really one of my priorities."

"I understand."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence where Jasper tried to figure Edward out and Edward let him. Jasper, though, wasn't able to get very far. War, hurt, and distrust was all he could remember from this life, and the memories of happier times from his old life had all been drowned out by the last several years when he was in the Civil war. It was all he knew, so he couldn't see where Edward was coming from. He was waiting for the ball to drop and nothing in his past would let him see that it wouldn't happen. Not with Edward.

"My family now is my pseudo-father, the man that turned me," Edward said. Jasper listened intently, the part of him yearning for comfort and stability hanging on Edward's every word. "His name is Carlisle and he turned me when I was sick and dying. His wife's name is Esme, and they're both… wonderful. But I was by myself. It's lonely being surrounded by relationships so filled with love when you don't have anyone. I was tired of pretending to be happy, pretending to be human, and pretending to be anyone else but myself. So I told them I was leaving for a little bit. They were sad, but I think Carlisle understood. Esme was less understanding, but she knew it was important for me to do this."

Jasper was silent, but Edward could hear the longing brushing the edges of his mind. "Who turned you?" He asked quietly, hoping it would make Jasper open up a little.

"Maria."

"The woman you work for now?"

"Yes."

"I think I saw her with you. She's the one with the black hair, correct?"

"That'd be her."

"And the brunette?"

"That'd be Maria's… assistant. She's not really a soldier, but she acts like she can command all of us. Vicious bitch, she is."

"If she's not a soldier, then why is she there?"

Jasper smirked, "She serves other purposes for Maria."

Edward furrowed his brow, not understanding what Jasper was trying to imply. Then Jasper's mind vividly and graphically stated what should have been obvious, had he not been so naïve, and Edward blanched. If he had been human, he would have blushed, but thankfully his vampirism saved him that embarrassment. "Oh," he simply said, staring intently at the dirt to distract himself.

But a very amused and genuine laugh distracted him from his embarrassment, and Edward's head shot up to watch one of the most wonderful things he had ever witnessed: Jasper laughing. _Really_ laughing.

"You should have seen your face," Jasper exclaimed, laughing even harder as he drew up a picture of Edward's confused expression. "You had no idea what I was talking about!"

"Shut up," Edward mumbled.

"I can't!" Jasper continued to laugh. Edward fleetingly wished they could be human for only a moment so Jasper would have to stop laughing, if only to breathe. "It was too funny! I mean, I knew you were naïve, but really?"

"I'm not naïve," Edward defended, choosing to ignore the fact that moments ago he had thought that same thing.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes I wish I was more naïve about the world."

"No you don't," Edward said. He tried not to pout. It's wouldn't do to have Jasper think he was a baby – it was bad enough that he now thought Edward had the sexual knowledge of a baby.

"Don't act like you know me," Jasper snapped. Edward could only blink at the sudden change in mood.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to… I was… teasing, I guess."

"Well, stop. Your pathetic meetings aren't making you an expert on me. I won't allow you to 'figure me out'. My life is something you'll never understand, and the longer you play this little game the more disappointed you'll be. I'm not a tourist destination for you," Jasper sneered.

That was it for Edward. He had tried being nice and he had tried being understanding, but it seemed like the only thing Jasper understood was force and control. Well Edward had a temper too, and if Jasper needed to see it to believe Edward was serious, than he would.

Edward stood up quickly and put on his fiercest glare. "You're right, I don't know you. But _you_ don't know _me._ And you may say that I'm presuming to understand you, but you're doing the exact same thing. At least I'm _trying_ to get to know you. You aren't even trying. You think that because I've led a different life, I can't understand what you may be thinking? You think that makes me inferior to you? Or dumb?

"Well I think this makes you an asshole. You can't tell me not to do something, when you're doing the exact same thing. So how about, instead of getting defensive whenever we start to talk about something you don't want to talk about, how about you ask me nicely if we can talk about something else? I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. I just want to know you."

Jasper stood, and in a moment he was right in Edward's face. "How dare you talk to me like that?"

"What? Can't handle a challenge?"

"Fuck you, rich boy."

"Mature."

"Who do you think you are?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm Edward Cullen née Masen."

Jasper growled and went to grab Edward around the throat, but this time Edward was prepared. He ducked Jasper's hand and instead wrapped his hand around Jasper's throat, swung them around, and threw Jasper against the tree. He didn't have Jasper's honed strength, but the shock of his actions worked in his favour. He pressed himself against Jasper, mimicking their first confrontation, and subtly took in the scent of Jasper before he went back to the task at hand.

"Now you listen to me," Edward said, his face inches away from Jasper's, "I will not allow you to push me around and continue to put me down. I don't have to be here. I want to be here, but I don't _have_ to. I'm here for you. But you can't treat me like shit."

"Then maybe you shouldn't ask stupid questions."

"Maybe you shouldn't be such a cowardly asshole."

"I'm not a coward," Jasper yelled. He struggled against Edward's hand, but Edward put all his force into keeping Jasper put.

"You're acting pretty cowardly to me. Attacking me when I'm just trying to be nice? Getting short with me for no reason? I'm just trying to listen to you, and you're treating me like a bug beneath your feet. How about we both talk like adults."

"I hate you."

Edward ignored the spark of pain that shot through him at his mate's harsh words and managed to roll his eyes. "You don't even know me. You can't hate someone you don't know."

"I know you well enough."

"You know that mature thing I mentioned? You aren't proving me wrong."

"Fuck you."

"Is that all you can say?"

"What do you want? Really? Because I don't believe your bullshit about just wanting to talk."

"That's not my problem. If you don't want to believe me, then fine. But it's the truth. And I won't let you push me away, just because you're a coward."

"Stop calling me that!"

"No, because that's what you are. Are you brave? Yes, I'm assuming so. You'd have to be to do what you do. But you're still a coward. You don't answer me with anything other than mocking. You're attacking me just because I'm asking you things you don't want to think about. I make you uncomfortable. You can tease me all you want, but when I leave here today, I leave to freedom. When you leave, you go back to a place of horror where you have no life of your own, no one who cares about you, and no way out. But I'm trying to give you what I have. I'm trying to give you me," Edward said, suddenly pleading as all his anger seemed to wither from his body. "I'm trying to give you all those things. And because you don't know how to handle it you're pushing me away."

"I never asked you –"

"I know, you didn't. But I'm offering. And you're being stubborn and afraid. I understand that this is new for you. I'm trying to be patient and understanding. But you have to stop pushing me away. I won't hurt you. I'm not like everyone else."

Jasper roared in anger, and threw Edward off him. Edward flew through the air and smashed against a boulder, shattering it into little pieces. This time – despite knowing he had pressed Jasper farther than he should have, for their second meeting – Edward couldn't hide the hurt. He straightened himself out and levelled his gaze at Jasper.

"I'm going to go now. I won't stay here and have you attack me when I'm just trying to help. I'm not a lap dog." Without another word, Edward turned his back on Jasper and took a step into the forest.

"Wait," Jasper yelled, and Edward heard a flash of confused panic shoot through Jasper's mind. "You aren't going to ask for another meeting?"

"Not right now," Edward said, and he took another step into the forest. "But," he said, smiling smugly, even though Jasper couldn't see it. "I'm staying at the Ladybird Motel. When you're ready to stop acting like a jerk, you can find me."

"What makes you think I'll come find you? I keep telling you I don't care."

Edward turned and smirked, tapping his head, "You can keep saying that. But you know, and I know, that it's not true. So when you're ready to admit it to yourself, find me."

He left Jasper there in the forest; desperately praying to anything that would listen that Jasper would eventually show up.

* * *

><p>Three days. It had been three days since he had seen Jasper and they had their… disagreement, was what Edward was choosing to call it, rather than a fight. Every time there was a movement around him, Edward's head would shoot up and he would look around him desperately, hoping it was Jasper. But every time he would end up hanging his head in disappointment.<p>

He almost regretted his decision to stay away from him. Especially when he thought that Jasper would never come. Edward wasn't sure what he would do if Jasper never came back. A large and ever growing part of him seriously considered forgetting what he said and just peaking to see what Jasper was up to – just to make sure he was okay. But the rational side – and what he was beginning to think of as his manipulative side – told him that Jasper had to come to the decision on his own and understand that Edward was serious about what he said.

He only hoped that Jasper would be able to connect his promise about staying away with his promise of being there for him, and understand that he kept his word, no matter what it was.

It was running him ragged, though. His thoughts were constantly occupied with worry for Jasper's wellbeing. In a moment of desperation, Edward had even written a letter to Carlisle asking for advice. He hadn't sent it, but just writing to Carlisle and imagining what he would say seemed to clarify things in his mind. He knew he was doing the right thing.

Jasper was scared, and Edward could only push him so far before he would bolt. He just had to be patient, but he refused to let Jasper beat him down. Jasper could bully and terrorise everyone else in his life, but Edward wouldn't allow that for him.

With a sigh, Edward looked around his small room. The motel was plain and rundown, but he didn't spend much time there, except at night. He opened his book and was just about to begin reading when a heavy knock rattled the door.

Knowing that only Jasper knew he was staying here, Edward leapt off the bed and threw open the door. Excitement coursed through his body, but the moment he laid eyes on Jasper his world stopped.

Jasper leaned against the doorframe, holding his side and sliding slowly to the ground. His clothes were torn to shreds, his shirt barely hanging on him. Through the tear, Edward could see angry scratch marks and teeth bites covering his body. If vampires could bleed, Jasper would have been covered in blood and possibly even dead.

Snapping into action, Edward put his arm around Jasper's waist and hauled him into the bedroom. He placed Jasper on the bed and removed his clothing, throwing them to the side of the room. He looked over Jasper and was relieved to see that nothing was missing from him. He was beaten and wounded and it would take some time to heal, but at least there wasn't flesh missing. Even vampires couldn't heal what had been bitten or torn off.

"Jasper," Edward whispered. "Jasper, can you hear me?" Jasper's closed eyes fluttered open and he weakly nodded. "You're going to be fine, but you'll be in pain for a while. I'm going to wash them out, so hopefully they'll heal faster."

He got up and was halfway to the bathroom when he heard Jasper's quiet, "Thank you." He returned to the bed with a wet towel and went straight for the most offensive wound, which Jasper was covering protectively. He howled in pain as soon as the towel met the wound.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Edward continued to whisper, as the pain grew.

"Fuck, it hurts," Jasper spat out through clenched teeth.

"I know it does, but this'll help it heal," Edward said. He hoped he wasn't lying. He had never had to mend vampire wounds before, and he didn't know exactly what he was supposed to do. But washing them seemed like a reasonable way to ensure speedy healing.

"Please just make it stop," Jasper whispered, his voice hoarse with pain and vulnerability. For the first time, Edward felt like he was seeing Jasper as he truly was. A scared, hurt, and broken man who had spent far too much time having to look out for himself in a world where people harmed him and turned against him. Edward didn't know if Jasper was referring to the pain or his entire situation, but he was resolved to help both.

"I will," Edward said, each word spoken like a solemn promise, "I'll make it stop."

Exhaustion, pain, and stress soon made Jasper's mind shut down, and he stared into the room as if in a daze. Edward continued to clean the wounds, paying special attention to the bite marks, hoping that he would lessen the scaring at least a little bit.

His thoughts were racing as he went over the events of the evening in his head. What had happened? Where had he been? But, most importantly, why had Jasper come here? Why had he found Edward?

When he was finally done, he pulled the blankets of the bed over Jasper and sat down next to him to wait for him to wake up and answer all of his questions.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!_


	4. Chapter Three: Understanding

_A/N: Hi everyone! Well, everyone who was willing to wait through the two months it took for me to get this chapter out. Sorry about that. If you're interested in knowing why, I have a brief list of my hold-ups on my profile page. Otherwise, I'm sorry, and hopefully it won't take me as long to get the next chapter out. _

_Well, that's enough from me! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I read all of them, and even if I don't get a chance to respond, please know that I love them all and greatly appreciate hearing from you._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: The <em>Twilight Series<em> and all recognisable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended. Only this rather lame plot is mine.

Chapter Three: Understanding

Edward shot a worried glance at the big lump on the bed next to him. It had been several hours since Jasper had gone into his odd 'daze-state', and Edward was beginning to wonder if he should try to wake Jasper up. Carlisle had told him once that, under extreme circumstances, a vampire's body could potentially shut down so attention could be paid to healing and repairing damage. Edward had never seen it though, and watching it happen to Jasper was eerie. Slowing his wounds were healing, though the bite marks left behind scars that seemed to glimmer in the sunlight.

Edward tried to read a book, but he was only able to get a few sentences in before his attention would be drawn back to Jasper. Every time Jasper would whimper in pain or shift slightly, Edward's book would drop to the ground and he would race to Jasper's side to look for any sign that he was waking up.

But every time he was disappointed.

At about three in the morning, Edward realised that Jasper would need something to eat when he woke. He knew that Jasper would be expecting human blood – but even though that would heal him faster, Edward wasn't willing to lure a woman back to his hotel room for Jasper to snack on. Jasper would just have to settle with animal blood.

And if that meant he would have to stay with Edward a bit longer while the animal blood took its sweet time working…. Well, Edward thought with an impish smile, that would just be a sacrifice he would have to make.

Edward didn't want to take the time to hunt some big game, especially because there was the possibility that Jasper would wake while he was gone and decide to leave before Edward returned. So he went to the local butcher. Half in hour later – and needing a new pair of clothes – Edward was carrying several bags of ice and containers filled with the blood of every animal that hadn't already been drained in the shop. For compensation, Edward put some money on the table, and was off before anyone could see him.

He slipped into his room and noted with relieved worry that Jasper was still out of it, and headed to the bathroom. He filled the tub with ice-cold water and dumped the ice into the cold water before covering the blood with the ice. Cold blood wasn't as good as warm, fresh blood, but he wasn't sure when Jasper would wake, and he wasn't going to have containers of blood sit out in the Texas heat.

A moan of pain shot out from the other room, and the last bag of ice slipped from Edward's hands and fell into the tub as Edward raced to Jasper. He froze in the doorframe as he watched Jasper slowly lift his head and look around. He rubbed his brow and slowly began to sit up, wincing every once in a while. Edward could see the confusion in Jasper's face, and his stomach dropped when it became obvious that Jasper couldn't remember showing up at his doorstep.

Jasper tried to stand, but his legs gave out beneath him, and Edward ran to him to catch him from falling. As soon as he touched Jasper, Jasper tensed, but he allowed Edward to push him back onto the bed.

"You shouldn't move yet," Edward said. "It's too soon, and your body is still weak."

"I'm fine," Jasper said, his voice raspy from disuse.

"Sure you are. Stay there, I have some blood for you."

Edward went back into the bathroom and got one of the bags of blood from the tub. He used his fangs to open a hole in the bag, and walked out to hand it to Jasper. Jasper took it, gratefully, and brought it up to his mouth to drink.

Then he stopped, sniffed the blood, and winced at the smell. "What is this?"

"Blood."

"Not any blood I've ever had."

"It's animal blood. That's what I drink. Human's aren't the only source of blood out there, you know." Jasper rolled his eyes and took a tentative sip. He scrunched up his nose at the taste, and Edward had to stop himself from leaping across the room and kissing the cute expression off his face.

"It tastes odd. And flat. There's something wrong with it."

"No there isn't; Animal blood tastes different than human blood. It's not as strong, and you need more of it before you feel satisfied."

"Then what's the point?"

Edward raised an eyebrow. "The point is that, this way, no one dies. You may sacrifice taste, but you aren't killing someone."

Jasper muttered a vulgar response, but he shut up and finished off the packet of blood. As soon as the last drop was drained, Edward pushed another packet into Jasper's hands. Jasper didn't say anything, but he was thankful for it.

Once he was done with his second packet, and steadily starting in on his third, he took a good look at the motel room. "Where am I?"

"You don't remember?"

Jasper shook his head. "Did you bring me here?" Jasper asked, suspiciously. His eyes flashed a dangerous gleam, and he sat up a bit straighter as he narrowed his gaze on Edward. "Did you get pissed off at me and drag me here?"

"You came to me!" Edward scoffed. "I have better things to do than track you down and drag you here."

"_You_ are the one stalking_ me,_" Jasper stressed. "Of course I'd suspect you."

"You just showed up, completely torn apart, on my doorstep. I didn't do anything to you except clean your wounds and give you food," Edward defended, slightly hurt that Jasper couldn't remember wanting to be at his place.

Jasper's face turned stony as he thought, and only the slightest twitch of his lips gave him away. "Oh," he said simply. "Yes, I suppose I did."

"What happened?" Edward asked, hesitantly. He didn't want to upset Jasper further, but he thought he deserved to know what exactly had happened to Jasper to put him in that condition.

Jasper shook his head and tossed the empty blood bag onto the bed. "I need to go. I've been gone too long, someone's bound to report me."

"I'm not letting you go until you tell me what happened to you," Edward said, raising his voice so Jasper knew he was serious.

Jasper cocked an eyebrow. "I'm not telling you anything." He moved to the door, but Edward rushed forward and blocked his path.

"No, I deserve to know. I took care of you, I deserve to know what happened."

Jasper growled and tried to step forward, but Edward held his stance. They silently battled for dominance, neither one willing to step aside. Finally, Jasper lost his patience and swore.

"Get the fuck out of my way."

"No."

"I'll hurt you," he threatened.

"I'd like to see you try."

Edward knew he was winning, if only because Jasper was still too weak to really fight him. He just had to make sure that Jasper didn't get to the door. If he reached the door, then he would leave.

As if reading his mind, Jasper launched himself at Edward, but Edward easily grabbed hold of his arms, turned him around, and managed to lock Jasper tightly against his body so he couldn't move.

"You can't go, Jasper. You're much too weak. I don't know why you came here, but you did. So I'm responsible for you."

"Fuck off, no one's responsible for me but me."

"No, I'm responsible for you and I won't let you leave," Edward said firmly.

Jasper tensed in his arms, and Edward prepared himself for another battle, but Jasper's muscles gave way, and his legs buckled. Edward quickly caught him before he hit the ground, and dragged him back over to the bed.

"Do you believe me now?" He asked, trying very hard not to sound like he was scolding him. "You're in no condition to leave. At least not right now. You're still recovering." He started to go back to the bathroom to get another packet of blood, but Jasper's soft, gruff voice stopped him.

"You don't understand," he whispered. "I _need_ to go. It's bad enough I've been gone all night long. I need to report for duty before they come looking for me."

"Surely they will think you are recovering from your injuries? They won't miss you for one day."

"I am a soldier," Jasper repeated in a monotone voice that told Edward this was not the first time Jasper had said these words. "A soldier does not show pain. A soldier does not show weakness. A soldier does not rely on anyone but himself."

Edward frowned at Jasper. "I don't understand what that means."

"I means I need to go because I am not allowed a day of recovery."

"Well, unfortunately for you, that's exactly what you're going to get. What could Maria possibly do?"

"Kill me," Jasper said bluntly.

"But you sound too valuable to her," Edward argued. "You control the newborns! How many people can do that?"

"So I'm only good for my abilities?" Jasper countered.

"To her, yes. But to me, Jasper…" Edward started, but Jasper groaned and put him off from whatever embarrassing thing was about to come out of his mouth.

"I'm sick of this and your stupid little declarations," Jasper snapped. "Look, I get that I make you feel happy. I make you feel like you like me. But I'm sick of the games. You only feel this way because I'm making you. I don't know why I'm making you feel this way – I must be doing it subconsciously or something. But the important thing is that you don't really feel this way. So now that you know, I'd like you to fight it and stop pretending you care."

Edward blinked in confusion as he tried to figure out just what Jasper was trying to tell him. He normally tried not to read Jasper's mind, but he had managed to catch some thoughts over the several times he had seen Jasper. They were mostly memories or little snips of words, but all of them had something to do with managing and controlling emotions. Edward had just assumed that Jasper was trying to work on his own. But this revelation brought forth another possibility, and Edward opened his mind to Jasper to see if he was right.

As soon as he allowed himself to fully enter Jasper's mind, Edward learned one important thing: Jasper felt emotions more fiercely and intensely than anyone he had ever met. There was no middle ground for emotions for Jasper. There was no happy or sad, it was jubilation or depression, intense love and intense hatred. Anything else in between was the result of Jasper suppressing or ignoring his instincts. And, Edward learned, Jasper had gotten very good ad suppressing anything other than hatred. Jasper was absolutely correct when he said that his hatred kept him alive. It was the only thing keeping his talent intact.

"So you control the emotions of the newborns to make them amenable to your will?" Edward asked. He tried to keep the disapproval from his voice – really he did. Edward knew that, it in the same situation, he would never have survived. Edward didn't disapprove of Jasper, and he never wanted Jasper to think that. But he did disapprove of Maria and how she had corrupted Jasper and his gift to suit her. Jasper's gift was something beautiful, but Maria had turned it into something evil.

"If, by those fancy words, you mean that I fuck with their heads and emotions until they do what I want, then yes," Jasper said with a snort. "How'd you catch on so fast? Most people need me to spell it out for them. Well, those I tell, that is."

Edward tapped his head and said, "I told you when we first met that I can read minds."

"I forgot," Jasper muttered. "I've never met anyone else who had a gift, too."

"Me neither," Edward admitted. He sat down on the bed next to Jasper, but made sure not to touch him so Jasper wouldn't freak out. "Do you really think I'm interested in you because of your gift?"

"It's the only explanation," Jasper said, stubbornly. Edward had to clench his fists so he wouldn't point out that it wasn't the _only _explanation. Instead, he decided to force Jasper to see the truth.

"But for it to be a result of your gift, you'd have to want me to feel this way. Do you want me to feel this way?" Edward asked. He desperately hoped for an affirmative answer. If it was, then that meant there was hope for him.

Jasper furrowed his brow as he thought – a gesture that scrunched up his whole face, and reminded Edward of a child trying to imitate a parent's thoughtful expression. Edward found it incredibly cute, though he would never say that to anyone. Especially not to Jasper. Jasper knew how to kill people, after all.

"I said that, yes I must subconsciously want you to like me."

"So then what's the problem? I imagine you're lonely. People probably don't want to buddy up to the person who commands them. I'm willing to listen and not judge you. What does it matter if it's your talent or not, when I can't tell the difference?"

"Because it's not real!" Jasper shouted. "I don't want fake friendship or forced companionship. I'd rather be alone than force myself on someone." He ended his tirade and took a calming, yet shuddering and completely unnecessary, breath.

Edward was silent as he let Jasper calm down, and then he spoke. "Do you want to know how I know that I care about you by my own free will?" Jasper looked up at him, but Edward didn't give him a chance to say anything before he continued speaking. "You have your gift because, despite what you do to suppress them, you feel emotions greater than anyone I know. But your gift only works when you don't shut yourself off from it. You've shut away all your emotions related to anything but hatred. I think that right now you would find it impossible to affect anything other than hatred, resentment, or any other negative emotion. You can't cause me to feel friendly to you, because you've so completely shut off that emotion, that you'd have no idea what it even feels like."

"I don't think –" Jasper interjected, but Edward raised his hand to cut him off.

"I'm not done," Edward said firmly. "If you don't buy that – and granted, it is just a hypothesis that Carlisle and I have been working on – my final reason is _my_ gift. Just like you have a better handle of emotions than most do, I have a better understanding of the mind. Your gift may control the body, but the hormones you control are regulated by the mind. Everything you do is controlling what and how the mind responds to each circumstance. I would know if you were affecting my mind. And while I'm sure you can affect my emotions, I would never allow you to when I barely know you, and you'd never be able to do it without my knowledge."

"So, you're saying…"

"I'm saying I want to know you because I want to. It has nothing to do with you using your gift."

Jasper still looked unconvinced, and Edward knew there wasn't anything he could say that would convince him if he didn't want to be convinced. So instead, Edward jumped on the one positive thing Jasper had revealed.

"So now that you admit that you want to spend time with me…"

"I never said that," Jasper protested. "I said, maybe subconsciously."

"But it's not so subconscious that it doesn't keep you from admitting that you never wanted my interest to be fake, even though that would have solved all of your problems."

Jasper didn't have a response to that, and Edward didn't force him. Jasper was stubborn, but bright, and pushing him into a decision he would rather make on his own would only infuriate him.

"So you really do want to get to know me?" Jasper asked softly and with a great deal of confusion still evident on his face.

"Yes."

"But why? If it's not my gift, than I don't understand why you'd want to. You called me a butcher. I can hear the horror in your voice whenever you mention what I do. I disgust you."

All thoughts of safe boundaries left Edward in that moment, and he didn't care about keeping away from Jasper if it meant that Jasper would get the wrong idea about him. The only thing that mattered was making Jasper see the truth. He knelt down in front of Jasper and cupped his face between his hands, forcing Jasper to look at him.

"You could never disgust me. Never. What disgusts me is what others force you to do against your will. I know you don't want this Jasper, but you feel like you have no choice because this is all you've known. That disgusts me. And I'm horrified that your gift, which is a testament to how caring you really are, has been manipulated into something evil. But none of that is you.

"I want to help you find the person that Maria has broken. I want to get you away from here so you can live the life you want. I want to give you the opportunity to use your gift for good, so you can see its beauty."

"I still don't understand why, though."

"I don't think there's anything I can say that will completely convince you," Edward said, honestly. "I think you just need to trust me, and see that I'm telling the truth."

Jasper looked away from Edward and he seemed to sag under the weight of his decision. Finally he spoke and Edward was slightly disappointed by the change in topic. "I still need to leave before Maria sends someone out looking for me."

"No, not yet," Edward insisted. "She'll already be upset; one more night won't make much of a difference. And in this condition, you'll never stand a chance against her. Wait and get better."

Jasper closed his eyes and buried his head in his hands. When he released a loud, guttural groan, Edward couldn't control himself any longer. He delved into Jasper's mind and heard him warring with himself as he vacillated between his training and experience, and his desire for rebellion and control over his own life.

When he looked up, a fierce rebellious fire was burning in his eyes.

"Can you give me some of that blood?" He asked. "If I'm going to be staying here another night, I might as well gorge myself on some unappetising animal blood."

Edward did a happy dance in the bathroom before he brought a bag back to Jasper, and opened another one for himself.

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><p><em>AN: Yes, it's short, (certainly shorter than I hoped to put out for you all, especially considering the wait-period) but it kind of just naturally ended here. _

_Also, I should say that I have no idea when medical research began work on hormones and the impact the brain has on regulating them. If it is after the time period I have my story set... Well, Edward's supposed to be really smart and educated, right? Plus he fancies himself a 'mind expert' because of his gift? So surely he'd know what goes on in there? Yeah, we'll go with that._

_Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear what you thought of it! ~AJ Kelly_


	5. Chapter Four: Conflict

_A/N: Right... well... remember me? It's been a while, hasn't it? So I wouldn't blame you if you don't. Or if you have lost interest in this story. Sorry about that. You can read my profile page if you want a good explanation. Mostly it comes down to working on my own book and getting ready to move to Scotland to get my PhD. So, yeah, I've been busy. But I felt so bad about not updating this, I forced myself to get it done last night. It's not long, and it's certainly not my favourite chapter, but I need to get back into the swing of this story. Hopefully I won't keep you waiting another 3-4 months! Hope you enjoy, and, again, sorry about the wait!_

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><p>Disclaimer: The <em>Twilight Series<em> and all recognisable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended. Only this rather lame plot is mine.

Chapter Four: Conflict

Jasper rushed through the woods, going as fast as he could. He had to make it back to base before nightfall. Two nights away were bad enough, but three nights would be difficult to explain away.

He had known it was foolish to stay with Edward, even if he did need more time to recover. Even now when he stretched his arms and legs the sensitive skin of the bite marks would burn from the leftover venom. But there was no time for healing – not when you were in Maria's army. Over the years, many young vampires had succumbed to wounds that were left untreated, but rather than seeing it as a negative reflection on her leadership, Maria only thought them weak.

Jasper wasn't weak. He couldn't afford to be.

He tensed in preparation the moment he passed over the territory boundary line. Jasper knew that Maria would know he was back before he even stepped foot in the camp. There were lookouts all around, hiding in the trees and behind every large knoll and boulder. Someone Jasper didn't even know would surely recognise him and alert Maria that he was back. That was the problem with being a general. There were so many vampires that Jasper would never know all of them… but they all knew him. And any excuse Jasper gave that they could twist to gain Maria's approval would be taken without hesitation. Maria was top bitch, and everyone else had to backstab their way into survival.

It was the only way Jasper had survived as long as he had. It wasn't just his ability to control emotions, or the way he could command the newborns that had helped him last that long. It was his recognition that if he wanted to live, he would have to fight for it, never trust anyone, and stay in Maria's good graces. If that meant turning a fellow vampire in for tyranny, then so be it.

As soon as Jasper walked into camp all eyes were on him. He looked around the weathered and dreary tents for a familiar face before he spotted Peter running towards him.

"Jasper," Peter yelled out. He stopped in front of him, and a rush of nerves hit Jasper as he took in Peter's face.

"Peter," he greeted. "Is Maria angry with me?"

"Angry? Jasper, she's furious. What happened to you? Where have you been?"

"I was out."

"Out? What the fuck does that mean? Jasper, you just left! Why would you do that? She's been raising hell all night. Two newborns were killed just because they got in her way."

There was a twinge of guilt, but Jasper shrugged so he would keep his calm facade. "I needed to get away. If newborns got killed, that was their own damned stupidity. I'm not responsible for them."

"Well, she wants to see you."

Jasper knew exactly why Maria wanted to see her. She needed to assert her dominance over him. But Jasper wasn't in the mood and despite knowing that it wasn't wise, the rebellious side of him wanted to make her wait just a little bit longer. That way when he did finally meet her, it would be on his terms rather than hers.

"I'll see her after I clean up," Jasper said as he began walking towards the large cave that was the home of Maria and her senior officers.

"Jasper, I really think –."

"She's waited this long, she can wait a few minutes longer."

"Fine, but don't blame me after she kicks your ass," Peter warned.

"Just tell her that I'll be there later," Jasper snapped.

Peter backed up and shook his head in disbelief. Jasper was one of the few who would stand up to Maria, but even he was smart enough not to push it when she was pissed. Jasper knew he was playing with fire by making her wait, but he was tired and if he was completely honest with himself Edward's words were starting to come back to him.

Jasper didn't want to be under Maria's thumb for the rest of his eternal life. He had resigned himself to this fate, at least until Maria was killed or won the war. But now Edward was offering him something he had never thought he would get – his freedom. It was stupid to get his hopes up. Edward was passing through and eventually he would get sick of Jasper and move on. But it wouldn't leave Jasper's mind, and at least while Edward was there Jasper could imagine being free and happy.

The cave Jasper lived in was dark and cold, but as a vampire Jasper never noticed. Each general and commander had a branch of the monstrous cave to themselves. Jasper's was slightly larger than the other's because of his high office, but none were as large as Maria's. He even had a circular area at the end of the tunnel that served to make his place less 'tunnel-like'.

Jasper stripped his clothing and went to the bowl and pitcher in the corner of a small hollowed section he had designated as his bathroom. The pitcher was beneath a crack in the wall that dripped water, and Jasper used that to wash his body and hair. He didn't have a mirror, so he didn't know if his face was free from markings. Once done, Jasper examined the clothes he had just removed. They were refined and well made and a bit tight on him. But that made sense considering they were Edward's. Jasper's clothes had been torn beyond recognition, and Edward practically forced Jasper into a pair of his clothes. Jasper also wondered if it was just another way that Edward had managed to bring himself back into Jasper's life. Now he would have to see him again to return the clothes.

Jasper picked up the green oxford shirt and gently fondled the soft, pressed material. He folded the shirt neatly and then the trousers and made sure to hide them deep beneath his own clothes. While not every vampire's scent could possibly be known by Maria, so she could never know that Edward's scent didn't belong in the camp, having any scent other than his in the room would be a recipe for disaster.

After he dressed, Jasper felt like he had kept Maria waiting long enough. He left his small room and made the quick trek to Maria's part of the cave.

His rooms were the closest to Maria's, and Jasper expected that she put him there because she had hoped he would become her lover. The idea made Jasper sick. He had no interest in fucking his tormentor – no matter how many brownie points it might get him. So he resisted all of her attempts and after years of rejection, she turned somewhere else. But she made Jasper keenly aware that she still wanted him.

That was another hitch in Edward's plan. Not only would Maria fight to the death to keep her general, she was fiercely jealous and would never let Jasper leave her to go with someone else. Jasper had no trouble imagining her killing both Edward and himself for trying to escape.

That line of thought quickly squashed any fleeting hope he may have had. If course it was ridiculous to think about. There was no way in hell that he would get away. This was his life. And a beautiful Yank couldn't do anything about it.

He rapped lightly on the stone outside Maria's chambers, but he didn't bother to wait until he was allowed to enter. He strolled in confidently and stopped right in front of the couch where Maria was filing her nails into deadly points. Her flowing black hair draped over her shoulders in waves perfectly surrounding a pale, perfectly formed face. If Jasper hadn't know the evil within her and if he didn't have very vivid memories of those nails tearing into flesh, he might have thought she was beautiful. Thankfully, Jasper learned of her evil moments after he had been awoken to this life, so she had never tempted him.

"Where have you been," she asked, her light tone intentionally masking her anger. But Jasper wasn't fooled. Not anymore.

"Out."

"Out where?"

"I was injured and recovering. I found myself in the woods and stayed there for a while. Then I did some patrols."

"And that is it?"

"Yes. Where else would I go?"

"Well you were gone for so long…" Maria trailed off and for the first time she acknowledged him with a cold look.

"Running patrols," Jasper repeated. "Nothing more."

Maria eyed him, and Jasper could tell that she didn't believe a word she said. "Well what did you find?"

"On my patrol?"

"That was where you were, wasn't it?" She asked. She went back to filing her nails and Jasper was sure she was making sure they flashed in the candlelight to remind him of her power.

He didn't bother to defend himself – it would only be admitting his guilt. Instead he plopped down onto the chair across from her and propped his feet up on the table.

"I didn't find much. Just a few nomads around. No one from any other clans."

"Nomads? On our land?"

"No, they were in the no-man's, so I left them alone. Just passing through, I guess."

"Well keep an eye out for them. Nomads should know better than to come down here unless they feel like… helping our cause," Maria said with a smirk.

"They shouldn't be back, so it's not necessary."

"Well make sure they're not. Did you find anything else? What about that vampire that was sneaking around last week?"

Jasper felt his brain stutter for a moment when Maria mentioned Edward. There was no way he could let her know about Edward. Jasper didn't know why, but something inside him screamed at the idea of Maria knowing anything about Edward.

"He was a traveller. I threatened him and scared him off. He didn't smell like any of the surrounding clans, so I let him go."

"Really? Because Holly said she smelled a new vampire in the town – like he had been staying there. Are you implying that there is another visiting vampire?" She asked.

Jasper kept his stance and looked her in the eye while he subtly manipulated her emotions to make her more lenient. "If I say the vampire is gone, he's gone. Holly is a bitch who will say anything to make herself look better. I have everything under control."

Maria eyed him but Jasper could feel his abilities working on her. Finally she nodded and looked back to her nails. Jasper assumed he was dismissed and turned to leave until Maria's voice called him back.

"And Jasper? If I find out you've been lying you'll wish you had been captured by another clan and killed by them," she said with a false sweetness.

Jasper didn't acknowledge her threat and tried to walk confidently from the room. As soon as he was out of her eyesight, Jasper's shoulders sagged. He didn't know why he thought this would work. Maria would never let him go. She'd kill him and Edward first.

But Jasper fully intended to take advantage of Edward's naivety. He had denied himself someone who cared for him for so long, it was nice to have someone want to be his friend. So Jasper was going to take advantage of it… at least until the time came for him to force Edward away from him.

Jasper didn't understand the pang of fear and longing that went through him at that thought, but he pushed it from his mind and went out to the camp to find out what he had missed during his two-day absence.

* * *

><p>Edward tried to distract himself from missing Jasper, but it just wasn't working. After a few days of not seeing him – and many visits countless tourist destinations that never seemed to take up enough time – Edward was losing his mind. He had hoped that Jasper would return quickly, even if it was only to return the clothes; but there was nothing. He had no way of knowing where Jasper was, and even if he did, Edward knew how dangerous it would be for him to just drop by. That didn't stop him wanting to, though. It took everything in him not to run throughout the woods looking for Jasper.<p>

Finally, a week after Jasper had arrived at his doorstep, Edward opened the door to his room to find a note attached to the door. His name was on the front in a handwriting Edward didn't recognise. He took the note curiously, but stopped when he caught the scent on the paper. Excitedly, he opened the letter and read the short note.

_Meet me at 12 PM. Your hotel. Keep the door unlocked and stay away from the windows. ~J._

Edward frowned at the curtness, but at least Jasper had contacted him again. The rest of the day he was an excited bundle of nerves. He had never thought he'd feel this way about another person. Sure, when he had watched Carlisle and Esme together, he had dreamed of one day having someone so turned into his needs, someone who would love him unconditionally and for eternity. That his mate was Jasper was beyond anything he had wanted, and he decided that, whatever he had to do, Jasper was worth it. Even if he had to fight for him, Edward would do it.

At midnight Edward did as Jasper asked. He unlocked the door, shut off the lights for good measure, and stood in the corner of the room away from the window. After a five minute wait, Edward sensed Jasper's quiet thoughts and the knob on the door turned. Jasper quickly closed the door behind him, then went to the window and peaked out through the curtains.

"What are you doing?" Edward whispered.

Jasper glanced back at him and then straightened out the curtain. "I'm making sure I wasn't followed."

"Was there a risk of that?"

"There's always a risk of that. I really don't understand why the fuck you never realise how dangerous this is."

"I don't care," Edward said, squaring his shoulders.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "You are the stupidest person I've ever met," he muttered.

Edward shrugged and moved away from the corner. He sat on the bed and patted the open space next to him. Jasper hesitated for a moment, but then he sat down, though to Edward's annoyance, he kept some significant space between them.

"I brought your clothes back," Jasper said. He handed Edward the pile of clothes Edward hadn't even noticed he had been holding.

"Thank you," he said. "Is that the only reason you're here?"

"Yes," Jasper said. Then he faltered and shook his head. "No."

"No? Then why are you here?"

"I just… I just had to get away," Jasper explained. "It was too much. Being away for a few days, it just made me…"

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine."

Despite Jasper's insistence, Edward knew Jasper was lying to him. Images of fights, blood, and pain flicked across Jasper's mind, and Edward knew they were recent.

"Really?" He asked. "Because I think you aren't telling me the truth."

Jasper was quiet for a moment but then he shook his head. "It wasn't anything unusual. Just the typical fights."

"Are you hurt?" Edward immediately asked, as he looked Jasper over. He couldn't see anything, but with Jasper that didn't mean anything.

"No, I'm fine," Jasper answered. His tone was dark, though, and Edward knew something wasn't right.

"Who isn't fine, then?"

Jasper really looked at him for the first time that evening, and Edward could hear his shocked thoughts that he had actually figured it out.

"Another clan," he confessed. "Maria, she – she decided that we needed a sneak attack. So in the middle of the night, when they weren't expecting us, I led a team into their camp and we… I… we dealt with them."

Edward didn't say anything as he tried very, very hard to see it from Jasper's point-of-view. He tried to understand why Jasper would do something like that. But Jasper could sense his horror, and immediately his guard was back up.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you," he spat. "You say you want me to tell you things, but will you do this whenever I do? This is my life Edward; it's not pretty. And if you can't handle it then you should fucking leave."

"It's not that!" Edward defended, but he wilted under Jasper's glare. "Alright, so maybe it's a little like that. I'm trying to understand, Jasper, I am. This is just not anything I would ever do, so it's hard to put myself in your shoes."

"You don't know what you would do in my position! No one does. So don't you dare judge me because I'm doing what I have to do."

"I'm not judging you, Jasper! I'm sorry if I'm horrified by what you have to do, but I'm horrified for you. It breaks my heart that you have to do this. I just want you to be happy and free from all this so you can live your own life." _With me,_ he added silently in his head.

"I still don't understand why you care, but I'm beginning to believe that you actually do."

"I do," Edward insisted.

Jasper sighed and flopped back onto the bed. "I don't want to talk about this any more. I want to talk about something good. You've heard about my life. Tell me about yours."

"Well I told you about Carlisle and Esme. They're the closest thing to a mother and father I've ever had. Well, since my real mother and father, that is. But I can't really remember them."

"Do you miss them?" Jasper asked, referring to Carlisle and Esme.

"Yes," Edward admitted. "But I'm glad I left them. If I hadn't, I'd have never came here and met you."

Jasper looked at him, and for the first time, Edward couldn't hear what Jasper was thinking.

"I guess I'm glad too," Jasper finally said. "Though I still think you are an idiot for sticking around here."

Edward couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at Jasper's words. Finally it seemed like Jasper was acknowledging the pull between them. He obviously didn't know they were mates yet, but he would eventually figure it out. Jasper wasn't as in tune with his emotions as Edward, so it didn't surprise Edward that Jasper would mistake the pull of his mate for mere curiosity.

It would only take time. And Edward was willing to wait.

"Yes, well, I think it's more stubbornness than stupidity, personally."

Jasper snorted as he stretched his arms above his head. Edward was momentarily distracted by the small patch of skin exposed by the act, but he thankfully managed to hide it well. "Of course you'd think that," Jasper was saying when Edward finally was able to clear the lust from his head. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're taking a serious risk being here. Maria has asked about you. I think I managed to convince her that you're gone, but if I didn't…"

"You're worth it," Edward blurted out before he even realised he had spoken. As soon as he realised what he said, Edward snapped his jaw shut and shifted his gave to the molding on the wall.

But he couldn't help himself as he listened in to Jasper's thoughts. At first Jasper was confused by Edward's words, but slowly he began to realise what Edward had said. And, worst of all, he pretty accurately figured out what it meant.

"Edward, I…" he stopped and took a deep breath. "I- I'm not good for you. If you…. I mean, I guess now I maybe understand why you're so persistent about this, but you really shouldn't be… attracted to me. It won't turn out well. I can't be what you want." _Or need, _he thought. _It is nice, though, to think that there's still something good enough about me to attract the attention of someone like Edward._

Edward didn't acknowledge his thoughts, though he assumed Jasper realised he could hear them. "I don't care what you think," Edward insisted. "I don't care. I wouldn't change how I feel."

"This won't end well."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do. Edward, I…"

Edward bit his lip and looked back at Jasper. Jasper's face was a mixture of confusion, worry, and a small, small glimmer of hope. "I'm not expecting anything from you," Edward said, softly, and, he hoped, earnestly. "I just want to help you because you're beautiful, but you've been corrupted. I want you to experience the life I have. I want to take you away from here. You're always welcomed to stay with me. Carlisle and Esme would love you."

"Edward…" Jasper sighed.

"Jasper, stop. I'm not asking you for anything. Now you know where I stand. But I want you to trust me first. So please," he begged, "please just forget I told you that. It was too soon, a slip, and I know you don't need that right now."

Jasper looked at him, and to Edward's horror, stood up. "I- I need to go. I need to think about this."

"Jasper –."

"It's fine, Edward, it is. But there is more than just you and me in this. I need to have some time to myself. I'll contact you again when I'm ready."

And before Edward could say another word, Jasper was out the door. Edward sighed and dropped his head between his knees. There was no doubt in his mind that if he were human, he would be crying. He worried that Jasper would avoid him now.

He worried that his mate was slipping through his fingers.

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><p><em>AN: Yeah, so not my favourite, but hopefully you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading! R&R. ~AJ Kelly_


	6. Chapter Five: Hunting

_A/N: *Clears throat* Yes, well, it's been a while - again - hasn't it. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm really not. It's been a crazy few months and I'm still recovering from moving as well as preparing all of my research for school to start... so yes, this had to take a bit of a back seat. But even though it's taken me a year to write 5 chapters (while my other stories were done in a year) I can assure you that I'll finish all of my stories! You'll just have to wait patiently for them... and isn't that the pot calling the kettle black. I'm horrible at being patient for updates to stories I really like. So while I hate that it took me so long to update this, that's just the way it is. Sorry! I did give you a bit of a reward at the end though... hint, hint. It's almost 50 pages in. Time to get the ball rolling._

_I briefly peaked through this to edit, but I figured you would probably prefer having the story with a few incorrect words and commas verses waiting until who knows when. So please, enjoy! _

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><p>Disclaimer: The <em>Twilight Series<em> and all recognisable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended. Only this rather lame plot is mine.

Chapter Five: Hunting

It had been two weeks. Two full weeks since Jasper had returned Edward's clothes – clothes that sat on his dresser, still neatly folded and retaining Jasper's scent. Two full weeks since Edward had stupidly revealed his feelings to Jasper.

And two weeks since Edward had last seen Jasper.

Edward had tried to distract himself with his sightseeing, but he soon realised that he had begun visiting places he had already been. Even so, he had taken to visiting famous sights two or three times just because it got him out of his hotel room. He tried not to spend too much time in town because after being there almost a month, the residents of the town were becoming suspicious of the visiting Yank who wouldn't leave.

Each day, whenever Edward would see a shock of blond hair, he would hope and pray that it was Jasper, but whenever he turned to inspect the person it was never him.

By the third week, Edward was wondering if waiting around was helping at all. There wasn't a way for him to contact Jasper on his own, but he didn't want to let another week pass without at least catching a glance of Jasper.

Finally in desperation, Edward went back to the forest where they first met. He spent hours looking around, actually moving at a human pace simply to waste time. But, like everything, it was always a dead end.

It didn't stop him from trying though.

Edward went back to the forest every day and waited. He figured that, eventually, Jasper would have to return. If there had been a battle in the forest before, it was inevitable that there would be a battle again. And Edward was just desperate enough to risk getting caught in one of them if it would give him the chance to see him again.

It was on the fourth day of waiting that Edward heard a sound from deep in the forest. He listened intently, trying to discern if it was animal or human. Finally, he heard a whisper of thoughts, though they weren't from Jasper. Curious, Edward got up from his seat in the grass and slowly slinked his way towards the person.

They were several hundred yards away, but eventually he began to clearly hear what the person was thinking.

_Fucking Maria and her fucking campaigns. Doesn't care that we're outnumbered, doesn't care that our newborns are depleted. She doesn't care that… he's gone. She doesn't fucking care about anyone else. Not even him. If she doesn't care about him…_

Edward froze when he heard the vampire's thoughts. He didn't know who 'he' was, but he did know that Maria relied more on Jasper than on anyone else. And if that 'he' was missing…

It took everything in Edward not to run to that vampire and force him to tell him everything. Images of Jasper heaped in a blazing pile of frozen flesh filled his head and his stomach twisted. He hadn't been sick for decades, but his entire body seemed to rebel and he felt worse than ever before.

If Jasper was… gone, surely he would have felt it, he reasoned. Sure, they hadn't bonded or even recognised their instincts. But Edward had to believe that they were close enough that if something had happened to Jasper, he would know.

That didn't make Edward feel better, though, because even if it wasn't Jasper that had died, someone had. Someone who had influence. Someone people would miss. Even this vampire doubted Maria's ability to lead.

_She's running her army into the fucking ground…_

Edward took a step closer to try to see this new vampire. When he was thirty yards away, Edward quietly climbed up a tree and peered through the branches. There, in between two fallen trees, sat a vampire that Edward had never seen before with black hair and a darker hue of skin. He was brooding and crushing small rocks into dust then throwing the dust into the wind.

_She won't stop 'til we're all dead,_ The vampire thought as he crushed another rock, glared at the remains, and violently tossed them over his shoulder. _Won't risk herself, though. Just us. What has to happen before she realises this won't last? _

Edward leaned forward as he listened intently. He had learned more about Maria in the past minute than Jasper had ever told him. Of course, he had figured out some of it. It was obvious that Maria didn't care about anyone but herself. What surprised Edward was the information that her mighty campaign was falling. This both worried and encouraged Edward. On the one hand, it put Jasper in greater danger of being harmed. Leaders on the verge of losing their power would do anything and everything to keep it… even if that meant destroying everything else. And all other leaders around them would wait until the falling empire was weak, and then strike, leaving no survivors. But on the other hand, if Maria was losing her power, it could possibly make it easier to get Jasper out.

_Fuck, I need to go,_ the vampire thought. He threw the rock in his hands away, and then stood and wiped his hands on his trousers. _Jasper will cover for me._

That made Edward perk up. This vampire knew Jasper, and clearly Jasper was okay. It was nice to have that confirmed.

The vampire moved away and Edward found himself following without consciously making the choice – it was his instincts. This vampire knew where Jasper was, and he was heading in that direction. That meant Edward was going to follow him as long as he could.

Edward was silent as he followed the vampire for several hours until he was deeper in the forest than he had ever been. Edward stood back at a distance as he watched the vampire slip between two huge boulders. He waited a few moments until he was sure no one was around to catch him, and then he slowly crept to the rocks. He peeked between them and had to suck in his gasp.

There were hundreds of tents set up and he could see thousands of vampires lurking about. Some were fighting each other while others stood around watching the fights. Others seemed more preoccupied with more normal activities such as talking and cleaning. Then, in a back corner, Edward could hear screams coming from a fully enclosed box. There were pools of blood all around the structure, and Edward had to close his eyes as he tried to block it from his memory. The last thing he needed to associate Jasper with was the feeding trough.

Edward knew that he should leave. It was dangerous to be this close to a group of vampires that Edward wasn't a part of. Jasper had even warned Edward to never go that far into the forest and he would be livid if he learned that Edward had been so reckless. So even though Edward wanted to see more, he turned his back on the horrible camp and quickly raced away before someone could spot him.

Though he knew he was just being paranoid, Edward felt like someone was following him the whole way back. The moment he reached the edge of town the feeling stopped, but Edward still bolted his door as soon as he got into his room.

He spent the rest of the day reading, and was so engrossed in his book that the knock on his door in the middle of the night shocked him. There was only one person who knew where he was staying, so without another thought, Edward raced to the door, unbolted the lock, and practically ripped the door off its hinges in an attempt to open it as quickly as possible.

"Jasper," he breathed as soon as he saw who was outside.

"Edward," Jasper greeted, though his tone wasn't pleasant.

Edward blinked at Jasper as he tried to figure out why Jasper was there. "Would you like to come in?" he asked. Edward held open the door and Jasper pushed his way through.

"What did you do today, Edward?" Jasper asked in a dark tone.

"Um, I mostly read. Why?" Edward responded, taken aback by Jasper's question.

Jasper ignored his question as he looked around the room. "Mostly? What else did you do?"

The way Jasper looked at him, Edward felt that he was waiting for him to say something. He felt like Jasper was trying to talk him into a corner and he didn't like it. He squared his shoulders and looked Jasper in the eyes before he responded in a way he knew would piss Jasper off.

"Why? I don't think it's really any of your business what I did with my day."

Jasper's low growl filled the room and Edward felt the tension rise significantly.

"It's my business when you're doing something stupid," he snapped. "So, again, why don't you tell me what the fuck you were doing today?"

"And, again, it's not really any of your business. I haven't seen you for three weeks, so why do you think you can just barge in here and expect me to say anything to you. You're lucky I let you in," Edward snapped.

"Of course you'd let me in. You like me," Jasper snapped back.

Edward froze at Jasper's words. He knew that Jasper was brash and rude, but he never expected that Jasper would throw his affections in his face as something to be manipulated for his own gain. However, Jasper was right. Edward would always let him in, though Jasper didn't know that it was more complicated that Edward just 'liking' him. Edward would never turn away his mate.

"So you think that you can use that to get answers from me?" Edward clarified. "Well let me tell you something, just because I _like_ you, doesn't mean I'm going to bend to your every whim. I'm not weak like some other people you may know, and just because I have emotions it doesn't make me weak, either. So if you think you can barge in here and treat me like this than you just fuck off."

Edward marched to the door and once again wrenched it open for Jasper to leave. Jasper didn't move though. Instead he grabbed Edward's elbow and yanked him back as he slammed the door shut.

"Why were you at the camp today?" Jasper asked.

"I don't think I want to tell you." Even to Edward's ears his response was infantile and sassy, but he was so mad at Jasper that he wanted to do everything he could to make Jasper furious.

"Someone knew you were there. You're just lucky you followed someone I sort-of trust instead of anyone else."

"Why do you care what I do, anyway? We haven't spoken in weeks; obviously you don't care about me. So what does it matter if I was there or not?"

"Do you really not understand how dangerous it was to follow him? He knew you were there the whole time and if it were a worse vampire, you'd have been dead. You should be glad that Peter told me he was followed first and no one else knows."

"I thought I was far enough away," Edward admitted. "Why did he tell you instead of doing anything?"

Jasper backed away and his face dropped into a confused frown. "He said he recognised your scent from me. It was the time you leant me your clothes. So when he smelled the same scent, he came and got me first.

"Oh," Edward could only say. "I didn't think of that."

"Obviously."

"I didn't go looking for your camp, if you're wondering about that. I was… well, just making sure you were okay and I heard thoughts about Maria. I was curious. Then when he thought about you… then he left and I just had to follow him," Edward muttered, trying very hard to minimise the fact that he had gone out into the forest to look for Jasper.

"Why would you do that? Do you have any idea how stupid you are, sometimes?"

"Yes, that's not the first time you've said that."

"I'm hoping that one day it'll kick in."

Edward ignored his comment and went to sit on his bed. "So no one else knows I was there except for you?"

"And Peter, though I had to lie to him to explain why I had been wearing clothes that smelled of you that day. But Peter won't tell anyone. At least, I don't think he will."

"So you just came here to yell at me, then?"

"Of course," Jasper said, a bit too quickly.

Edward cocked an eyebrow and tried to meet Jasper's eyes, which were fervently attempting to look anywhere else but at Edward.

"Of course," Edward replied, smoothly. "So now that you're done yelling at me will it be another three weeks before I see you again?"

"I had hoped you'd be gone by now," Jasper said. "You're only visiting, but you've been here a lot longer than any normal visit."

"I have a local interest that's keeping me here and I'm not leaving until I've been satisfied."

"Well maybe next time I come back I'll find that you've finally wised up and left."

"Next time?"

Jasper's face closed off when he realised what he said and he crossed his arms across his chest defensively. "I just meant that if I ever have to come back here for anything, if you're smart I'll find that you've left."

"_Right," _Edward said, disbelievingly. He managed to contain his smile at Jasper's unconscious admission, but he knew that Jasper would close off quickly, so he had to change the subject. If he didn't, Jasper would leave and it could very well be another few weeks before he saw him again. "Are you hungry?"

"What?" Jasper blinked out of his mood at Edward's sudden question.

"Are you hungry? Your eyes are getting darker and I know that I haven't eaten in a few days. Do you want to go hunting?"

"You're going to go hunting with me?" Jasper smirked.

"No, I'm offering to show you how I hunt. You're curious about it, I know you are. So come with me. Just try it."

"Why would I want to try something that doesn't taste as good and isn't as fulfilling? It's a bit of a waste of a dinner."

"How about actually having a meal you don't feel guilty about later?" Edward asked, knowing he had just played his winning hand.

_Touché_, Jasper thought, though he didn't let it reflect on his face. Edward listened in on his thoughts as he vacillated between leaving and spending more time with Edward. Eventually curiosity and a longing to spend time with Edward that Jasper didn't understand won out.

"I'll go once, but I'm only doing this because I want to see how this works."

"Of course," Edward agreed as he attempted to play along with Jasper's need to keep his distance. "We should go now then. It's still dark so we may be able to catch some animals by surprise."

Jasper followed behind as Edward led him to his favourite hunting spot. It was deep in the forest so no humans would ever come across them but still far enough away from Jasper's camp that they wouldn't bump into any other vampires.

"So what do we do?" Jasper asked from their perch in the trees. "And why the hell am I in a tree?"

"We can see everything from here," Edward pointed out. "And it's important to be out of the way in case any animals come past. We don't want to scare them off. From here we can see them coming."

"So we wait here and then pounce?"

Edward chuckled. "Well, yes, sort of. We wait and see if anything happens to come by. If it doesn't, then we start looking. But usually you can find a deer this way. The only rule is no females."

"Why no females?"

"A female could be pregnant, they could have a fawn to care for. Females are vital to the continuation of the species and, as such, vital to my food supply."

"So before I eat it, I have to check between the legs?" Jasper's tone bordered on leering, but Edward found it rather humourous.

"No, nothing so vulgar. Check the horns, of course."

"Oh, yeah." They were quiet for several minutes. "How do you wait this long? There's nothing to do. Can we go look? Please?"

Edward had to stifle a laugh at Jasper's whining, but he didn't feel annoyed. He felt like he was being let into the real Jasper. He was finding that Jasper was very impatient and didn't like waiting for anything. Instead of 'angry Jasper', Edward was finally seeing a side of Jasper that was natural. It reinforced Edward's belief that there was still a lot of good in him and that Jasper could be saved.

"Just be patient a bit longer. Honestly, you're like a child. Just hold on."

"I'm not a child, I just have better things to do than sit in a damned tree until a squirrel comes along."

"If you're waiting for a squirrel you'll be hungry again quickly. If you want the big game you have to wait for it. Anything worth eating is worth waiting for."

"But there's nothing to do," Jasper complained.

"We can talk. We'll have to be quiet and alert, but if we whisper…"

"We're talking now and not whispering," Jasper pointed out.

"Well, yes, but, you know what I mean."

Jasper sighed and looked around them. "So who taught you how to hunt this way?"

"Carlisle did. The moment I woke up, as soon as I was situated and comfortable with my new body he took me out and showed me how to hunt animals."

"And have you ever had human blood before?" Jasper asked, finally looking at Edward with a curious stare.

Edward hesitated before he answered. "Yes, when I first stared this trip I tried it. I wanted to see if I was missing anything. It was good – I'll admit that – but I just couldn't continue having it with my ability. It was too much to be able to hear their thoughts. I imagine you have that problem too, being able to feel emotions."

"How do you know about that? I haven't mentioned it," Jasper snapped, sharply.

"I'm a mind reader. I figured it out from some of your thoughts. I just hadn't mentioned it before now because I know you're a bit touchy about it."

"So you're invading my privacy?"

"It's not invading, I try not to but sometimes I can't help it. But I'm right, aren't I? You don't like drinking from humans because you can feel their fear?"

"Fear, horror, worry, and even arousal. It's all there and it's horrible," Jasper admitted. "For days, I can't… well, I just try to put off eating until I can't take it anymore."

"Jasper, you shouldn't do that. You know how dependent our bodies are on the blood. You're opening yourself up to trouble by weakening yourself."

"I know," Jasper growled. "But it's not like I have any other choice. I'm not like you. I didn't know there was another way to feed before I met you. I just thought this was the way all vampires acted. Until a few years ago I didn't even know that these wars were contained to the South. I thought they were everywhere and I'd have left earlier – before I wasn't so wrapped up in all of this – if I had known. It's too late now."

"It's never too late. That's why I'm still here. Eventually you'll pull your head out of your ass and you'll let me help you. At least you learning how to hunt so you don't starve is a step in the right direction."

Jasper suddenly laughed and Edward felt warmth spread through his body at the wonderful sound. "You know, I don't think I've even heard you swear before, and today you've done it a lot! You try to be a prim and proper, but you've got a bit of an attitude."

"What can I say, you're so annoying and frustrating, you bring it out in me," Edward drawled.

Jasper just laughed harder at that. A wide, bright smile spread across his face and it was as if all the blood, fighting, and pain fell off and he was back to being Jasper Whitlock, Texas Human before the army. Edward clenched his hands together to keep them from reaching out and tracing Jasper's lips just to make sure the smile was real.

Thankfully, right as Edward's control was about to drop, the snap of a twig alerted both vampires. They both fell silent as they waited for their prey to make an appearance. Edward watched Jasper out of the corner of his eye and he saw how Jasper's muscles tensed and pulled against the fabric of his shirt as Jasper readied himself to leap into action.

"Wait for it," Edward said, barely above a whisper.

There was another snap directly below them, and then a large buck emerged from behind a bush. It began leisurely eating some of the plants around it, so Edward knew they would have time to act.

"We'll surround him," he murmured. "You go on one side, I'll go on the other. Avoid the antlers. When fighting animals, your best bet is to always attack from the side. They can't kick you or bite you from there."

"Got it. Which side are you going to take?" Jasper asked, never taking his eyes off the buck. He was a natural fighter and loved strategies and battling nature was right up his alley.

"You stay here. I'll climb across to that limb over there so I'm on the other side of him. Once I'm there, I'll signal to you and we'll drop at the same time so we don't alert him. Ready?"

"Oh yeah," Jasper breathed.

Edward shot him a grin before he gracefully climbed through the tree limbs until he was exactly where he needed to be. As soon as he positioned himself on the limb, he looked over at the waiting Jasper, nodded his head, and leapt to the ground.

It was natural and beautiful, the way they worked together. Just as mates were meant to do. Without needed to say anything further, they both managed to seamlessly perform the act. When the buck darted one day, one vampire would block him and force him back towards the other. When the buck lifted itself on its hind legs and tried to kick Jasper, Edward grabbed it by its waist and forced it back.

Edward had never felt so exhilarated if all of his previous hunts and he knew it was because Jasper was there with him. _His Mate_ was helping him hunt, and that made all the difference. This was how it was supposed to be; they were supposed to work together, to provide for the other. This was natural. And if Jasper didn't feel the emotional call of a mate, surely he would notice this: the physical connection they had and how they moved without communication. It would be difficult to explain away how well they worked together without previous experience.

It was finally Jasper that dealt the fatal blow. The buck reared towards Edward, but before Edward could do anything else, Jasper raced at it from the side and bit into his neck. The buck dropped to the ground, shaking as the poison coursed through its body.

"Ripe the throat out," Edward instructed. "It's cruel to leave it alive and it pain. Put it out of its misery."

Jasper didn't question it as he leaned down and ripped the throat from the body. Just as soon as he sat up to stare at the carcass, he was leaning down again, drinking from the hole in the throat. Edward stood mesmerised for several moments as he stared at the image Jasper made, covered in blood, eyes alight with action and achievement, drinking in animal blood as if he had always been drinking it.

Finally his own hunger snapped him from his thoughts, and he leaned down next to Jasper and drank from the wound. Once they both had their fill, they leaned back on their haunches and smiled at each other.

"Well?" Edward asked. "What do you think about your first hunt?"

"Is it always like that?"

"Well not always. Some are more passive, some more active. You should try bear or mountain lion. If you enjoyed fighting the buck, you'll love trying to out-maneuver a mountain lion."

"I mean I'd have to get used to the taste because that's really not very good. But the hunt! Humans, even if they try to fight back, are no match for us. But this!"

"You were a natural," Edward said. "It was like you had been hunting for your entire life."

"I think I did when I was human. Every once in a while I have a dull memory of being in the forest with my rifle, hunting for food. Maybe that's why I enjoy this so much."

"Maybe. Or maybe you just enjoy the freedom that this gives you."

"Yeah, maybe," Jasper mused.

"If – when – you do it on your own, a lot of the time you have to chase them because there isn't that other person there to help you herd them. But the same method applies. Come at them from the sides, tear out their throats, or incapacitate them in some way. It's always easier if you can trap them against a cliff or something."

"That was, just…" Jasper said, his eyes still shining bright from the chase.

"And maybe next time we can find something a bit fiercer than a buck?" Edward not so subtly suggested.

Jasper didn't catch it in his euphoria. "Maybe a bear? We should definitely do a bear."

"Bears are bigger, but I think you'd enjoy something that requires a bit more strategy. I'll think of something." Edward made sure to keep his tone light so Jasper wouldn't catch on to the fact that they had essentially made a date to go hunting together again.

"God, how did I never know I could do that? And the best thing is, I don't feel guilty at all! I don't feel pain and anger. It hasn't tainted my meal. I'm full and I don't feel guilty for having eaten."

"That's wonderful, Jasper," Edward said, sincerely. "I'm glad you don't feel guilty because you don't deserve to feel guilty."

"Edward, I –"

"You don't have to say anything," Edward assured him.

"I know I don't, but I… I know I'm hard to get along with. And I don't like anything threatening my way of life – even if it's a shitty way of life; it's all I know. So I know I've been an ass to you."

Edward sat down next to Jasper and shrugged. "Like I said before, you're worth it. When you're being nice, you're really great to be around. So sometimes it's worth putting up with your moods."

Jasper snorted. "If you were smarter you'd realise you deserve someone a lot better than me."

"Maybe. But I don't want someone better than you."

Jasper turned to face him and Edward found himself trapped by the look in Jasper's eyes. He was so captivated; he couldn't make his mind work to figure out what Jasper was thinking.

"Do you really want me that much?" Jasper asked.

"Yes."

"But why? I'm horrible. I've killed people. Whenever I talk about what I do, it disgusts you. Why do you want me?"

"Because you feel remorse for your actions. You do things to save your life, not because you want to. And because, whether you're ready to take the step or not, you want out."

The words had barely left Edward's mouth before a pair of rough, chapped lips were covering his own. The taste – distinctly Jasper's – was better than any blood he had ever had. Jasper pressed closer and Edward felt himself lean back as he tried to drag Jasper on top of him. But it was over too quickly. Edward had just opened his mouth to beckon Jasper in before Jasper ripped himself away.

His face was a mask of confusion and lust, and Edward felt sorry for the poor vampire who had no idea what was going on or why he felt the way he did. That said he would never take back the kiss.

"I'm sorry," Jasper rasped. "I don't… I don't know why I did that."

"Jasper –" Edward tried, but Jasper was already on his feet and halfway to the tree line.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I- I need to go."

"No! Wait, Jasper," Edward cried, but before he could shoot to his feet, Jasper tore out of sight.

Edward tried desperately to chase after him, but Jasper knew the forest better than he did so Edward easily lost him.

Edward couldn't regret it though. Jasper would possibly spend a very anxious and confused night, but Edward wouldn't change it for the world.

He drifted back to the motel in a haze, but it was immediately broken when he realised that he would need to do some major planning if he wanted to keep control over the situation. It was a given that Jasper would overreact, though Edward hoped he wouldn't deal with it by spending another three weeks away from him. He had to plan exactly how he would act the next time they met so Jasper would feel comfortable.

Edward spent the rest of the night scheming, daydreaming of Jasper's lips, and figuring out how he could kiss Jasper again.

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><p><em>AN: Well I hope you thought it was worth the wait. At least they kissed! Right?! Did I get in your good books with a Jasper-initiated kiss? Please review and let me know what you thought. I do hope the next update won't take as long, but, again, no promises. Thanks for reading! ~AJ Kelly_


	7. Chapter Six: Truths

_A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back and terribly sorry it took so long to get this updated. I had to figure out where I wanted to go with this. I'll be honest, I never saw this as a terribly long story and I still don't. I only expect there to be about 10 or 11 chapters in total to this story, so we're almost done! I hope you enjoy the chapter (to everyone still reading) and hope it was worth the wait._

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><p>Disclaimer: The <em>Twilight Series<em> and all recognisable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended. Only this rather lame plot is mine

Chapter Six: Truths

Edward was brilliant.

He had been smart when he was human and since his parents were fairly well off, he had been scheduled to attend Harvard before he had gotten sick. After he was turned, his previous intellect was nothing compared to what he was capable of now.

Despite this, it was difficult to decide how exactly he would act when he next saw Jasper. It was a difficult choice. On the one hand he could directly confront Jasper, but that could make Jasper deny everything and run away. The other choice he had was to not mention the kiss, but Edward feared that would allow Jasper to ignore that it ever happened and he would never move forward. Edward spent all night debating, but eventually it hit him: Jasper was a soldier. He wouldn't enjoy being played and manipulated. So that left Edward with only one choice and unfortunately it was the choice that terrified him the most. Edward wasn't a particularly violent or confrontational person, but if that were what he needed to do to reach Jasper, then he would do it.

The next night Edward went out hunting for a lack of anything else to occupy his time. He was getting restless. He had long run out of things to do in the small town and if it hadn't been for Jasper, he would have left weeks ago. Being away for so long was beginning to get to Edward, and he had a strong suspicion that once he left with Jasper he would head straight for his post box in Montana, find out where Carlisle and Esme were staying, and return to them. His wayward ways were behind him now. Jasper's life had awoken him to the importance of family and he wanted nothing more than to bring Jasper into his.

Edward stilled and focused his hearing on a noise. The wind blew towards him and carried the smell of bear. Edward smiled as he set off, though he wished Jasper were with him. He knew that Jasper would want his chance at hunting a bear. Edward hoped that the thrill of hunting animals would distract Jasper long enough to get used to the taste.

Once he was close enough, Edward slowed down to sneak up on the bear. He watched it walk along the edge of a river and pause to paw at the water. Edward was about to launch at it when a thought that wasn't his own went through his mind.

_Slowly. Don't startle. From the side… the side… the side. _

Edward immediately recognised the voice in his head and ran straight towards the person.

_And… One…Two…Three…_

Edward burst through the trees behind Jasper and smirked at the picture Jasper made. His brow was furrowed in concentration, his arms strained with the retrained force he was using to not jump out and immediately confront the bear. And, to Edward's amusement, Jasper was repeating Edward's instructions in his head.

_From the side… and NOW!_

"What are you doing?"

Jasper was mid-lunge when Edward spoke, and Edward bit back a laugh as he watched Jasper flop forward and whirl around with the guilty face of a child caught doing something naughty.

"What are you doing?" Edward repeated.

"Nothing," Jasper deflected.

"Really? Because it looks like you were hunting. Practicing, huh?"

Jasper muttered something so quietly that Edward couldn't make out what he said.

"I don't think I caught that. Want to repeat it?"

"This morning I caught a fox," he repeated, and though he made it sound like it wasn't a big deal Edward could hear the pride in his voice.

"Good job," Edward said. "You're catching on quickly. May I ask what made you so eager to practice?"

"It's fun, and as horrible as the taste is… I like it."

Edward smiled. "Well how about you show me your skills on that bear, then? I'll just act as back up, you take the lead."

Jasper smirked back and got back into his crouched position. The bear hadn't moved while they spoke, so Jasper inched forward.

"I'll go first and be the first assault. You go around and come at him from the other side, okay?" Jasper sounded very confident, but he looked at Edward for confirmation that his plan would work. Edward nodded and moved over a bit so he could have easy access.

Jasper looked at Edward out of the corner of his eye, and at Jasper's signal, they both ran from the tree line. Jasper went straight for the bear and, in his typical fashion, confronted it head on, distracting it long enough for Edward to get in position. Just as with the buck, they both moved together effortlessly. Edward didn't need to read Jasper's mind, they both instinctively knew where the other was going to go. There were a few close calls with the bear's teeth and claws and it took longer to go down than the buck, but soon Jasper had his teeth around the bear's throat and Edward heard a loud ripping noise.

They both drank their fill from the bear, though Edward let Jasper have most of it since he was really only hunting for a lack of anything else to do. He knew Jasper had to be starving: when one wasn't used to animal blood it was nowhere near as filling as human blood could be.

Once they were both done, Edward leaned back on his haunches and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Jasper stayed hunched over the carcass before he stared off into the river.

"You know what's going on with us, don't you?" Jasper asked in a quiet voice.

Edward froze and for the first time since he could remember it seemed like his mind shut off. It was the moment he was dreading… the moment Jasper realised something was different between them.

"You do," Jasper repeated in the same tone.

"Yes," Edward admitted. "I wasn't sure you were ready to know."

"Tell me."

Edward debated how to tell him. It was obvious relationships weren't common in the army base. Edward didn't even know if Jasper knew about mates. How did you explain mates to someone whose entire existence as a vampire had been controlled by a woman hell bent on turning him into a monster?

"What do you feel, Jasper?" Edward started off.

"I feel like I need to know you. Sometimes when I'm far away, it's like I can hear you… and yesterday… I had to kiss you. There was something inside of me that wouldn't let me leave until I did. This morning when I went hunting, I only did it because I know you want me to. Why do I feel like this?" Jasper asked, weakly. Edward marveled at this moment as Jasper showed how insecure he actually was.

Edward sighed and grabbed Jasper's hand and led him away further down the river. He didn't want this life-changing conversation to happen over a dead, drained bear. Once they were a distance away, Edward sat on the bank and pulled Jasper to sit down next to him. Edward made sure to keep their hands joined the whole time.

"I'm sure Maria never told you about this. Soldiers aren't useful when they have a heart, after all."

"What are you talking about?"

"Right, okay, I'm just going to tell you. The reason you feel this connection between us is that we're mates."

Jasper blinked and furrowed his brow. "I don't understand."

"I don't know how to explain it," Edward huffed. "We're mates. Like, meant-to-be-together-forever mates. Like, Carlisle and Esme are mates and they love each other so much they never want to be apart. They always know the other will be there when they need them. There's always someone to support you. And love you.

"And I want that with you, Jasper, I really do. But we can't because you don't even know what this means. I mean, if Maria had raised you properly like a Sire should, you would know all about this and the moment we meet you would have recognised me.

"I've waited for you for so long," Edward revealed, not even caring about how pathetic he might sound or how quiet Jasper had gone. "I've waited, and when I finally met you, you don't even belong to me. You belong to _her._ And no matter what I say, what I do, you won't leave."

"I don't understand," Jasper said again.

"I want you to leave her and come with _me._ I'll show you what you've missed. You don't have to have this life anymore because I'll give you something better. Carlisle and Esme will love you; we'll be a family. You'll go to Europe. We'll go everywhere. I want to show you Venice, you'll love the history of Italy."

"That's why you haven't left? Me?" Jasper asked. Edward wasn't really sure what Jasper was feeling, he was somehow managing to keep his thoughts to himself and his mind was a blank. It frustrated Edward more than he thought it would; he didn't know what to say to make Jasper respond.

So he said the only thing he could. "I'm not leaving without you, Jasper. I have no other reason to be here. I've seen everything I can here. If not for you, I'd've been gone weeks ago. But I'm not leaving without you."

"Maria would never let me go."

Edward growled and jumped to his feet in anger. "Why does she get any claim on you? I'm your _mate._ You know you're drawn to me. Jasper, until yesterday I didn't even know where you lived. But we've meet how many times since I've been here? You seek me out! Despite what Maria says, you defy her to find me. You care for me and worry about me. Isn't that worth it? You don't want to serve her anymore. So _don't!_ Come with me. She'll never find you. We'll leave the continent. If you want we'll leave tonight and after a quick trip to Montana to find where my family is we'll never come back. You'll be free."

"But you barely know me," Jasper protested. "How could you be willing to do all of this for me?"

"Because you're my mate and one day you'll understand."

"Do you love me or something?"

"I'm not in love with you yet," Edward admitted. "But I'm on my way and I know I will. We're mates, there's no other outcome. And you'll love me, if you ever give it a chance."

Jasper stayed silent and refused to meet Edward's eyes. Edward couldn't think of anything else he could say to convince him. Finally he knelt in front of Jasper and took his face in his hands.

"She's going to destroy you, Jasper," Edward whispered. "If you don't leave you'll turn into something you don't recognise. Save yourself. Don't even do this for me, do this for you. Do you want to continue this life? There's a whole world out there that is filled with family, love, and friendship. Some people go their entire lives without harming a single human being. Let me show you this world."

He tilted Jasper's chin up and gave him a light kiss. Jasper responded and Edward had to pull away before he deepened the kiss.

"Think about it. You know where to find me."

And Edward left Jasper by the side of the river.

* * *

><p>Jasper sat sitting for hours thinking through everything Edward had told him. A part of him didn't want to believe Edward because it changed everything he had previously known, but somehow deep inside he knew Edward spoke the truth. Now his only decision was what to do about it.<p>

Leaving would mean freedom, but it would also mean leaving the only familiar thing he could remember. Since he had awoken to this existence, Maria and her fights was the only thing he knew. It wasn't until Edward that another way of living revealed itself.

Edward.

Jasper didn't know what to make of this mysterious, handsome man that barged his way into his life, uprooting everything. What he was offering was tempting… it was the life Jasper used to dream he would have, back when he had first been turned. Before the years of blood and death hardened him and blinded him to anything else. He had once naively dreamed that the fighting would end, he would be let go, and he could have a family and see the world. The gift of immortality seemed wasted if he didn't enjoy experiences he wouldn't have had in life.

After his first couple of battles he got over that fantasy.

From then on his life had been one horrible moment after another. Soon he completely forgot that there was another way of life. The only things he had from his previous life were his musket, military uniform, and a photograph of people he assumed were his parents but he wasn't entirely sure. At first he had hidden them away for safekeeping. Then he kept them hidden because he was afraid of what he would do to them in a moment of self-hatred.

And then there was the Mate thing.

He wasn't entirely sure what it entailed, but the connection and emotions he felt whenever he saw Edward were too strong to deny. He knew mates existed for some, but he had never considered he would ever find his. And, thanks to Maria and her trying to get him to sleep with her, his only understanding of mates was as something sexual. But what he felt for Edward wasn't sexual. There was sexual attraction, to be sure; but it was deeper than that. For reasons beyond Jasper's understanding, he actually believed Edward when he said he'd get him out of Maria's control.

But Maria would never let him go. He'd spend the rest of his life running from her and that wasn't a life that Edward deserved to live. But even though Jasper didn't know if he deserved Edward, he realised an opportunity when he found one.

When the sun went down, Jasper finally stood and went back to the camp. The moment he arrived Jasper realised his absence had been noticed. Peter walked up to him with a grave face.

"Maria wants to see you – has for about six hours. She's furious. Where have you been?"

"That's none of your business, Peter. Where's Maria?"

Peter ignored his question and stepped closer. "Were you with that other vampire? The one that followed me?"

Jasper narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips into a thin line. "Maria?" He repeated, not bothering to answer him.

"She's at the feeding pen."

Jasper pushed past Peter and walked to the end of the camp towards where the humans were held. As he passed everything he imagined what life without all of it would be like. The camp was always tense, ready and alert for whatever whim Maria had. It was a horrible place, really. There was nothing wonderful about the camp, so filled with violence, anger, and loss. But it was all he had ever known.

Jasper got to the feeding pen just as Maria was finishing her meal. She tossed the blonde female to the side and licked the remaining blood from her lips. She looked down and smiled a vicious, greedy smile. Jasper followed her eye line and what he saw horrified even him. At her feet was a little blond boy. He only looked to be about five-years-old and from the tears in his eyes it was clear that the body Maria had just thrown aside was his mother. Maria reached for the boy, but Jasper, in an odd display of sympathy, cleared his throat.

Maria stopped her approach and turned to face him. "Ah, Jasper, so you have finally returned. Are you hungry?" Jasper looked at the humans and then at the boy and, rather that feeling the familiar craving for their blood, he only noticed their terror, pain and sorrow. He imagined Edward's proud face when Jasper had hunted with him and how disappointed he would be if Jasper indulged himself. For the first time Jasper considered someone else when making his decision, and that sealed the deal for him.

Jasper shook his head and purposefully looked away from Maria's prying eyes. She made a motion with her hands and Jasper watched from the corner of his eyes as guards took the boy away and threw him back into the pen.

"I was doing rounds, it took some time."

"Curious how often you do rounds now, Jasper. None of my other soldiers are as… devoted as you are," Maria purred. She drew a long nail down Jasper chest, stopping and toying with the top of his trousers.

Jasper stood his ground because anything else would be considered weak, but inside he couldn't help but compare her touch to Edward's. Maria was evil personified, whereas Edward was warm, comforting, and safe. While Jasper had never slept with either of them, he definitely knew which he would prefer.

"I'm merely making sure your territory is protected," he said, knowing his role by heart.

"And I do appreciate that. But I wonder at your devotion to me."

"I'm not sure what you are implying," Jasper said. He was immediately on guard at the raised eyebrow and calculated look Maria gave him.

"No? So you don't think I haven't noticed you running off at all hours of the day? Disappearing for hours? And I'm supposed to believe you're running patrols?" She snapped. "Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I don't sense you drifting from the cause?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Maria's face darkened and before Jasper could do anything, her nails scrapped across his face and then dug into his chin. She yanked Jasper forward and pulled him to her face. "Shut up you piece of shit! After all the work I've put into you, all I've trained you to be, you dare to pull this?"

"I'm not trying to pull anything," Jasper insisted. "I'm just making sure – "

"Do you think you're my only soldier? I can have anyone do what I want in an instant. While you're out 'doing rounds'," she mocked, "I have people actually checking on things. No one has seen you. Not once. Since you have all the answers, how do you explain that?"

"Maybe you need better soldiers," Jasper suggested, wincing only slightly when his skin tore even more from her retaliatory grip.

"Maybe you should stop your lying. You've been caught. Where have you been? With another camp? Have you betrayed me Jasper?"

For a moment, Jasper was almost relieved that Maria had assumed he was betraying her. That would keep Edward safe – she obviously didn't know about his existence. But now he was in a very dangerous position. There wasn't anything he could do to truly convince her he wasn't a traitor if she didn't want to give him a chance. And Jasper knew what happened to traitors. He had assisted her in the last execution.

"I would never betray you, Maria," Jasper swore. "I know my place."

"Prove it," Maria sneered. "I have a task for you."

"Anything," Jasper promised, just pleased to not be killed immediately.

Maria smiled and Jasper's stomach dropped. "I want to build an alliance with the camp to the south, LaRue's army… well, at least I want them to think we have an alliance. So to do that, we have to have a common enemy. Tonight our watch guard will be killed, and most conveniently a scrap of clothes from Valaz's army will be left behind. At the same time, a small group of Valaz's men will also infiltrate LaRue's camp."

"How do you know all this?" Jasper asked.

"Because I'm orchestrating all of it, of course. Tonight you will lead a team of our most useless men south and attach LaRue's camp dressed in clothes that make you smell like you're Valaz's men."

"But it'll be a massacre," Jasper protested. "A small group against their entire army…" Jasper trailed off, as he finally understood what Maria was saying. "You don't expect us to live, do you?"

"Sacrifices are necessary. Are you not devoted enough for this? Will you go back on your word?"

"You want me to prove my loyalty to you by dying?"

Maria smiled and loosened her hold on his jaw. "What better way is there?"

Jasper had to concede her point. Had he been the same man he was before meeting Edward, he probably would have gone through with the suicide mission. But Edward had giving him something to live for. With everything he had been debating through the day, Maria's mission seemed to make Jasper's mind up for him.

"Fine, what time do we leave?"

"Not until early morning. We want the darkness so you can hide as long as you need to and hopefully it will help cause more confusion."

Jasper nodded; despite his horror at the plan it was a solid one, and one that would ensure she got what she wanted: a fake-alliance with someone whose lands she desperately wanted, and death for her men she mistrusted or saw as useless.

"I'll get prepared then," Jasper said.

Maria studied him for a moment longer, before she nodded and released him from her grasp. His skin began to slowly knit itself back together. Jasper quickly turned and began walking away when Maria's voice stopped him.

"Jasper, what is wrong with your eyes?"

He tensed and purposefully kept his back to her. "What do you mean?"

"They have flecks of gold in them. What have you been up to on your rounds?"

"I was hungry and too far away from a human. I was forced to kill an animal and drink them. It was disgusting and I'll never do it again. I found a human soon as I could. I suppose that could have something to do with it."

Jasper walked away before Maria could say anything more because that wasn't a topic he wanted to delve into. There wasn't much time and Jasper had to figure out a plan.

He went into his room and sat down on his makeshift bed. Jasper thought for hours, every single situation running through his head. Only one this was certain, he had to leave that night if he was ever going to get free. This was his only chance.

It was almost eleven at night when Jasper came to a decision. He went to the feeding pen and nodded to the guards. "I want the boy," he said, nodding towards the small child. "I'm going on a raid tonight and need a bit of a top off from my evening meal."

The guards exchanged a smirk before one of them unlocked the pen and went inside to grab the boy. The child started crying and struggling in the guard's tight grip, but no matter how hard he tried, he was no match for the guard. When the boy was thrown at Jasper, he could see the beginnings of a bruise already forming on the boy's arm.

Jasper grabbed the boy's neck, but made sure his grip was light so the boy wouldn't be hurt. Without a word to the guards, Jasper led the boy behind the pen and into the woods. It wasn't uncommon for the vampires to feed in the woods. It afforded a bit of privacy, especially for the ones who liked to play with their food before killing them.

But that wasn't what Jasper had in mind. He continued to march the boy through their territory, not speaking until they were finally past where spying ears could hear.

"What's your name, boy?"

The boy let out a big sniffle and began crying harder. He was crying so hard he couldn't speak. Jasper stopped and knelt down to look that the child.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he promised. "I want to help you, but I need to know your name."

"Cha- Charles," the boy sputtered.

Jasper tried to smile and calm the boy down, but he had never dealt with kids before and wasn't sure how to act. "Well Charles, I'm Jasper. That was your mom, right? The blonde woman?"

Charles nodded his head, his tears running down his face. Jasper could smell the boy's tears, he could smell the blood beating within the tiny veins, and it took every once of control he had not to drain the boy dry. Jasper stood quickly before he could be tempted further.

"Where were you taken? Where are you from?"

"We're visiting G'ma and G'pa in the town," Charles mumbled. "We went to the park and mommy and I took a walk."

"Were your grandparents with you?" Charles shook his head no. Jasper had to hold his breath against the smell of blood so close to him. "Okay, I'll get you back to them, I promise. I'm going to need to pick you up and run really fast, okay? We can't be caught so you can't say anything."

He picked Charles up and ran to the only place he would be safe.

* * *

><p>Edward was reading quietly when he heard Jasper calling for him. He stood up and swung open the door to see Jasper running towards him clutching something to his chest.<p>

"Edward, how soon can we leave?"

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked in confusion. He looked at Jasper and zeroed his eyes onto what was in Jasper's arms. "Is that a child?"

"Maria killed his mother," Jasper muttered. "I couldn't let the kid be hurt, not after you—well, anyway, I couldn't let them kill him. He says his grandparents live in the town somewhere."

Jasper put the boy on the floor and Edward watched as he looked around him before he finally looked up at Edward. Edward smiled, knelt down, and brushed the hair from the boy's face. "Hi, I'm Edward."

"Charles."

"Hello, Charles. Do you know where your grandparents live? If I take you there would you know their house?" Charles nodded and Edward smiled and took his hand. Then he looked back up at Jasper. "What's going on?" He asked in a low voice so Charles wouldn't hear them.

"Maria thinks I'm a traitor. She's sent me on a suicide mission. I leave around three." Edward's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to ask Jasper what he meant, but he quickly closed it. "I'm not going."

"And how will you pull that off?" Edward asked, dreading the answer.

"Can you be ready to leave by three?"

"Are you serious or just hypothesising?"

"I'm serious. Could you be ready?"

"Of course."

"And what you have, you can run with?"

"I don't have that much."

Jasper looked down at Charles. "Could you bring him home before then? And you said something about needing to go to Montana to get an address for your family. Can you do all of that and be waiting for me at the end of town by three-thirty tonight?"

"Yes, but how are you going to get away?"

"I'll lead the group where Maria wants me to, and I'll send them into the rival camp, but I'm not going with them. The whole point of the raid is to kill all of us, she won't know if I'm dead or if I've just vanished. After the men start going into the camp I'll race back here and we'll run. No looking back."

"I don't like it, Jasper," Edward admitted. "Why can't we just go now? You're here; let's just leave. I don't want you to go back there."

"If I go now, she'll come after me," Jasper reasoned. "If she thinks I've been killed on a raid she sent me on for that specific purpose, we won't have to worry about her anymore. Besides I have some items I want to take with me. I couldn't bring them now because they'd be too suspicious."

"I still don't like it."

"I'll be fine, Edward," Jasper assured him. "I know how Maria's mind works. I'm a problem that needs to be fixed, but once I am, I'll be out of sight, out of mind. This is the best way. Trust me."

"I do, but –" Edward bit his lip and looked down at the boy. If Jasper was serious about this, they were wasting time by arguing. "Just promise me you'll be okay."

"I'll be just fine. It'll go great and I'll meet you at the end of town then we'll go to your family."

"Okay," Edward relented. "You should go now, no need to add more suspicion. I'll be ready with everything and I'll take Charles home."

"I'll see you at three-thirty then." Jasper turned to leave but Edward grabbed his elbow and pulled him back for a kiss.

Jasper hesitated for a moment, but then he slowly responded. He even seemed to gather the courage to place a hand on Edward's cheek. They separated and Edward looked deeply into Jasper's eyes.

"If you don't come, I'll go looking for you," Edward promised.

"I'll be fine."

"You keep saying that, but I'll just letting you know I'll come after you if you stand me up."

Jasper snorted and shook his head, but Edward thought he saw a hint of affection in his actions. With a final kiss, Jasper disappeared into the darkness with Edward watching him go the whole time.

When he finally lost sight of him, Edward looked down at the little boy who hadn't released his hand the whole time. "I have to quickly pack, Charles. Would you like to help me and then I'll take you to your grandparents?"

Charles nodded and Edward put the boy to task putting everything in his satchel. Edward didn't have much, so it didn't take more that ten minutes. Once they were done, Edward picked Charles up, left enough cash for his bill on the dresser, and left.

Charles was a bright kid and after a bit of questioning, Edward discovered that he could easily find his way back to his grandparent's house from the park. When they were almost to the house, Edward set the boy down and sat on the curb with him.

"Charles, I have to leave you here. I'm sure your grandparents are worried about you and will be very excited to see you, but I can't let them see me. I'll watch to make sure they find you, though. And, Charles," the little boy nodded along to everything Edward said, and looked up at him with trusting blue eyes, "don't go into the woods alone, okay? The mean people who hurt your mommy, that's where they live. Stay in the town, you'll be safe there."

With those final words, Edward watched the little boy run up to his grandparent's door and knock as hard as his little fists allowed. The door opened to the house and a relieved voice cried out the boy's name and big, strong arms snatched the little boy up and dragged him into the house. Edward wanted to explain to the people in the house why their daughter was gone. He wanted to tell them to leave, go north, and never look back. But there was nothing more he could do. At least the boy was back with family, even if he had suffered a traumatic loss. Edward waited to make sure no one came out to look for anyone who might have dropped the boy off, and then he turned away.

His next stop was Montana and then, hopefully, the rest of his life would lie before him.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading and please review and let me know what you thought. ~AJ Kelly_


	8. Chapter Seven: Betrayal

_A/N: I am a bad, bad author. I know. I feel horrible about how long it took me to get out this measly little chapter. Unfortunately, life took over. But I'm back! For now, at least. I hope to finish this story by the end of the year, which in theory should happen because there are only two or three chapters left of this story. But that depends on what real-life has in store for me in the coming months._

_I hope you won't be disappointed with the chapter, considering it took so long to get out. Please forgive any spelling or grammar errors. _

_Warnings... um, torture is briefly mentioned. That's all I'm going to say. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: The <em>Twilight Series<em> and all recognisable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended. Only this rather lame plot is mine

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Seven: Betrayal<span>

Jasper quickly made his way back to the camp. He knew Edward didn't like the idea of him returning – if he were honest, Jasper wasn't a fan either. He didn't like having to go back and just to put himself back in Maria's hands. But it was necessary. Maria had to believe he was going on the mission and that he had died in her scheme.

It was his only chance of escape.

Jasper made sure that his entrance into the camp didn't draw attention to his unnecessary exit. The last thing he needed was for his unusual behaviour to be noticed. That would only invite questions he couldn't answer.

He went straight to his room without meeting any eyes. Once he was safe from prying eyes, Jasper retrieved his pack from beneath his bed. It wasn't unusual for him to bring supplies on a raid – though it was usually filled with reconnaissance tools. This time, though, it would carry Jasper's last items from his human life, some money he had accumulated over the years, and some clothes for the trip. If he packed well, everything would just fit in the bag without it appearing too bulky.

Next, he carefully picked out what he would wear on the raid. It had to be inconspicuous, but he wasn't able to wear what he normally would. He didn't think Edward would want to run out of town with someone dressed only in a pair of dirty trousers. He would certainly draw attention dressed like that, and Jasper didn't want to ruin his escape by having to stop and put on a shirt. If anything went awry, he would need every last nanosecond to put more space between Maria and Edward and him.

Jasper picked out a shirt that was still in relatively good condition, but was still old and dirty. He was just reaching for his pack so he could begin filling it up, when a figure emerged from the corner of his eye.

He whirled around, ready to attack if need be, but was stopped by a startled sound.

'Whoa, Jasper, it's just me!' Peter cried, raising his hands defensively.

Jasper relaxed and quickly looked behind Peter to ensure they were alone. 'You snuck up on me,' he said, though he was loath to admit it.

'On you? Who'd have thought it'd be possible?'

'Don't get used to it,' Jasper said. 'What are you doing here, Peter?'

"I wanted to speak to you about the raid tonight, but it can wait until you're ready." Peter glanced down and furrowed his brow at the items Jasper had lying on his cot and right next to his bed. "What are these for, Jasper?"

Jasper didn't answer as his brain ran through every scenario. He knew Peter – he knew Peter wouldn't buy any silly excuse or lie he would throw out. Peter had always been the only one that Jasper respected. He tried to stay above the blood and violence. He was philosophical about it all, and even though Jasper would growl and try to beat him down, Peter would always try to comfort and help Jasper. Though Jasper would never admit it out loud.

If anyone deserved to be free from the madness of war, it was Peter.

How he never let the war change him, Jasper didn't know. But while they had never been close confidantes, Jasper felt like he could trust him. And it would help to have someone else who could take the pressure off of him once the plan was pulled off.

But he didn't know if he should.

Edward was the first person he had trusted for years, and Jasper had struggled with why that was until it finally had made sense when Edward explained that they were mates. Jasper assumed his instincts made it feel natural to trust Edward for that very reason. But Edward had made him realise that trusting people didn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. And out of everyone in the camp, he trusted Peter the most.

So Jasper took an enormous leap of faith.

'If I tell you, will you promise to keep it to yourself?' Jasper asked.

'Of course,' Peter replied, furrowing his brow in confusion.

'I'm serious, Peter. You can't tell a soul, especially not Maria. My life depends on it.'

'I'm your friend, Jasper. I won't speak a word,' Peter promised.

Jasper nodded, threw all of his harsh military training out the window, and placed his trust in the relationship he'd built. Despite his strong doubts.

'I'm running away,' Jasper admitted in a hush tone.

'You're what?' Peter asked, immediately dropping the volume of his voice and walking close to Jasper. 'You can't run away.'

'I can, and I am.'

'Where are you going?'

'I don't know yet,' Jasper said. 'And I won't make you culpable by telling you. But after tonight I'll be gone.'

'This is about that other vampire I smelled, isn't it?' Peter asked.

Jasper hesitated for a moment before he looked away. 'He's my mate. He has family and we're going to meet with them. I'm finally getting out of this place. Maria is a monster,' he growled.

'Jasper,' Peter warned.

'No, she is, Peter. She's a monster. She's using us. Our lives here are hopeless and driven by her will. I knew that the whole time, but until I met Edward, I didn't care. But now, I just can't stay here anymore. I can't continue living this life, knowing there's something better out there. I won't be her murderer and I won't follow orders. I'm no fucking patsy.' Jasper couldn't read Peter's emotions, he could only watch as Peter nodded along with his words while keeping his face blank, but he hoped his trust wasn't for naught.

'You won't say anything, right Peter?' Jasper asked.

'Of course not,' Peter quickly said. He looked at Jasper's pack and Jasper felt Peter's longing sweep through him. 'You're lucky, Jasper. So very lucky. I'd kill to get away from here.' Peter paused, then looked into Jasper's eyes. 'How can I help?'

'I can't ask you to do that.'

'You aren't asking me, I'm offering. Let me help you, Jasper,' Peter insisted.

'It's already planned,' Jasper said. 'Maria's 'job' tonight, well I won't be making it back from it. It's a suicide mission, and I'm going to make her think it worked. But it'd be helpful as fuck if you'd keep up the charade once I'm gone. Maybe check up tomorrow and confirm with her that I'm dead. She can't think I've gotten away.'

'No, of course not,' Peter agreed. 'I'll do anything. But I should leave now. Don't want anyone getting suspicious, do we?' he asked with a wry smile.

'No, no, you should go,' Jasper said looking away. Peter turned to leave, but Jasper caught his arm. He couldn't quite meet his eyes – the soldier in him was still loath to show vulnerability of any kind – but he knew he had to say one last thing to the only vampire in the camp who ever seemed to care about his well-being. 'Peter, thanks… for everything. You're… you're the only true friend I've had here, and, well, I think I'd have lost it long ago if you weren't here trying to keep me grounded.'

Peter quirked an eyebrow and tugged his arm away. 'Damn, didn't know getting a mate made you such a fucking wuss.'

Jasper growled; he still wasn't ready to fully give up control or let anyone walk all over him. Friends included. Peter just smiled and walked from his corridor.

Jasper looked after him, still unsure if he had just made the best or worst mistake of his cursed life.

* * *

><p>Edward had run as fast as he could and reached Montana just before closing-time. When he reached the post box, there was only one letter waiting for him. A pang of longing went through him when he saw Esme's elegant cursive spelling out his name.<p>

He hadn't realised how much he missed them both. He didn't have Carlisle for guidance or Esme for advice. And he really wished he could speak to the both of them at that moment. He needed to know that he was making a smart move.

Not about Jasper. No, that would always be good.

He needed to know if the plan would work. Carlisle would know. Carlisle would have formed a foolproof plan that Edward would inherently trust, and without issue Jasper would be safe and sound in his arms.

Carlisle would have convinced Jasper to stay. To flee that night and not return.

Edward hated himself more each moment knowing that he had allowed Jasper to go back to Maria. Jasper had been insistent, but Edward kept wondering if there was something he could have said that would have convinced Jasper to change his mind. He knew there wasn't; Jasper was too stubborn for his own good. But the possibilities plagued Edward constantly and drove him nearly mad. He kept being reminded that he had let his mate go back into the clutches of a murderer. And he'd never forgive himself if anything happened.

Forcing the thoughts away, Edward tore open the letter, and for a moment he lost himself in Esme's reports of the months they had been separated.

_Dear Edward,_

_Oh, my darling boy, I do hope you are well. I know you meant to strike out on your own, but I hope you read this sooner than I think you will. It has felt rather incomplete without you with us. Though I do understand why you left. However, I do hope you have finally found what you were looking for, and that you return to us soon._

_We are in Maine now. In a small town called Jonesport right on the coast, just as I've always wanted. Our house looks out over the water, and when you come back, I've set up a room for you with a bay window and a view of the sea. _

_I miss you every day. I miss hearing your piano played. It is waiting for you. I hadn't the heart to leave it behind. So here it sits, forlorn in the living room. Even Carlisle seems lost without you. He has observations or discovers of new medical ailments, and I know he desires to know your thoughts. But I know that it is important that you have this time, now, to find yourself. _

_Come back to us, please. Whenever you arrive, you have a home here. Carlisle is even prepared to offer you a position at his practice. _

_You are loved, my dear boy. I hope you know how much. No matter where your wanderings have taken you these months, you are loved. And forgiven, no matter what you may have done._

_Love always,_

_ Esme and Carlisle_

Edward knew that he'd be crying if he had the capacity to produce tears. Their address was written below, and on a whim, Edward decided to write back and let her know he was returning.

_Dear Esme,_

_I have missed you more than you could know, though your letter reminded me why. I am writing to let you know that I am returning, and I will not be alone. Despite my wayward wanderings, I found a purpose. I found my mate. We are leaving tonight, and will travel as quickly as possible to meet you. _

_I cannot wait to introduce you._

_ Edward_

He paid for the fastest delivery available, and then immediately began the journey back to Texas. Back to Jasper.

* * *

><p>Jasper waited until the last minute to emerge from his chambers. For the longest time he sat, thinking over everything that had happened in his life. Edward was still a surprise, and Jasper still didn't know what a future with him would entail. He didn't fully understand what being mates meant. But he knew that he wanted to spend time with Edward. He knew he was pulled to him, and desperately wanted to make him happy. And, for reasons Jasper couldn't begin to understand, Edward seemed to feel the same way for him.<p>

Edward thought he was worth saving.

And Jasper wanted to be worth saving.

So there he sat. Waiting for dusk for his life to change.

When he couldn't put it off any longer, Jasper swung his pack over his shoulder, took one last look at the only life he could remember, and left to meet his troops.

He knew something was wrong the moment he stepped out of the cave. Instead of the usual bustle of the camp, everything was silent. Jasper walked forward, but tensed as the members of the camp followed him, eventually surrounding him on all sides. Before he could act, his arms were grabbed by four other vampires, trapping him and preventing him from any movement.

'What is going on here?' Jasper demanded, trying in vain to tear himself from his captors.

'Don't you know?' A voice asked from the crowd. The people parted in front of him, and Maria walked out from between them.

'Maria, what are you doing?' Jasper asked.

'I thought that was obvious, Jasper,' she said.

'Stop teasing and just tell me,' he barked. 'What is going on?'

Maria pressed herself against him and grabbed his chin to force him to look directly in her eyes. She studied him for a moment before she slowly dragged her hands down over his neck and chest until she reached his stomach, where she let her hand rest.

'A little birdie told me something interesting today.'

'Oh, yeah? And what's that?' Jasper knew he should have kept his mouth shut; that his words would only infuriate her more and make the problem worse. But he'd never been one to step down, even when it was in his best interest.

'Oh no no no,' she cooed. 'I want you to tell me. Tell me, my general, my favourite, how you plan to betray me,' she growled. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she dug her nails into Jasper's stomach, piercing his hard flesh as deep as they could go. Jasper managed to bite back a scream of pain, but it was like being stabbed with razor sharp knives.

Maria twisted her hand, and pulled back with a handful of flesh. She held it in front of him, before throwing it to the ground and grabbing his throat.

'Tell me!' she commanded.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' Jasper managed to gasp out through the pain.

She slapped him, making sure to drag her nails fully across his face, and then she dug them into his cheeks, piercing through to his mouth. Without speaking, she motioned to the vampires holding him, and they instantly enacted to their well-known duties.

It wasn't uncommon to use torture as an interrogation technique. The bite of another vampire, while not lethal, was very painful. And too much of the pain had been known to drive some vampires mad. Jasper was familiar with the pain. He had experienced his fair share of bites – he even had the many scars to prove it.

But this time, it was unbearable.

The pain of the four vampires' bites – on his neck, chest, arms… wherever they could reach – combined with the pain from his stomach and mouth was becoming too much. They inflicted damage faster than his body could heal itself, and their venom only hindered the process.

After several long minutes – how long, Jasper couldn't tell – Maria called them off. She stared at Jasper, coldly watching him as he unnecessarily gasped due to the pain.

'You think you can betray me without consequences?'

'I'd…I…,' Jasper stopped to gather his wits before he forced out an answer, 'I'm not.'

'Oh, really? Why do you lie to me Jasper? Have I not been a kind master? I gave you this life. I saved you from certain death. And this is how you repay me?'

'You made me a murderer,' Jasper spat out. If this was his one and only opportunity to truly tell her how he felt, he was going to take full advantage. His situation couldn't possibly get worse, after all.

'I made you a soldier,' she snapped. 'Without me, you'd have died. You were pathetic when I turned you. A pathetic little human who'd have eventually died with all the other pathetic human soldiers – if not in the next battle than in one of the many others. I built you. I made you.'

'You destroyed me,' Jasper whispered. He immediately regretted it, when his arm was wrenched back. He felt a snap and knew that one more movement and he'd lose the arm.

'So like a coward, you thought you'd run away?'

'I never –.'

'Do not lie, I know all about it.'

'I haven't done anything.'

'Do you think I'm an idiot?' She hissed. Jasper kept silent, knowing that he'd already pushed his luck too far. 'Peter,' she called out.

Jasper's mind shut down for a moment and an emotion he'd never felt before swept through him as he watched the one person in the camp that he had trusted shuffle his way out of the crowd. Peter's head was down, and he refused to look Jasper in the eye. But Jasper knew… he'd been betrayed.

'Peter,' he said, unable to keep the hurt and frustration out of his voice.

'Tell me what you said, Peter,' Maria commanded. 'Tell me what Jasper told you.'

'He—he said, he's running away. He was going to desert the mission tonight and run away,' Peter mumbled, though from the deathly silence in the camp, it seemed to ring out.

'How could you? I trusted you,' Jasper muttered.

'I'm sorry,' Peter said. He finally looked up at Jasper, but only met his eyes briefly before turning away again. 'I had to, Jasper. Please, you must understand,' he pleaded.

'You traitor,' was all Jasper could say.

'I had to,' Peter repeated.

'Of course you did, Peter,' Maria interjected. 'You see, Jasper, Peter is loyal. Peter is a true soldier. He knows his place and he knows who is in charge. And for that, he will rise in the ranks. In fact, I have a feeling your position will be open after tonight. Do you deny any of what he has said?'

When Jasper didn't answer, Maria seemed to take that as confirmation. She picked up his pack, which had been thrown to the ground, and opened it. One by one, she removed the items and dropped them at her feet.

'Photos, clothes, money… nothing you would need for your assigned mission tonight,' she said. She threw the bag at Peter and crushed the photos into the ground with her foot. 'I think that about clears things up. Don't you?' She asked.

There was nothing for Jasper to say, nothing to change her mind. His fate had been set the moment he walked out of the cave. Maria smirked, bared her teeth, and attacked.

Jasper closed his eyes, too weak and in too much pain to try to fight back. He thought of the one thing that could take his mind off his suffering. Edward. He knew Edward would be waiting for him. He knew the pain Edward would feel when he realised that Jasper wasn't coming… would never come. He only hoped that Edward would not go looking for him.

_Edward…_ he thought, _I'm so sorry._

* * *

><p>Edward waited eagerly on the edge of town, the excitement flowing through his body. He wanted to set out and be well out of the way before anyone noticed Jasper was missing, so he had arrived early just in case something went wrong and they needed to leave sooner.<p>

But at three-thirty, Jasper still hadn't shown. Edward could only contain himself for another ten minutes before he set off to find him. He knew Jasper wouldn't be late – not for this. So he knew something was wrong.

Edward had only been to the camp once, and that was in a covert, roundabout fashion. So it took Edward almost half-an-hour to track down the camp. He hid out behind a rock and looked down at the camp, trying to find any clue on what had happened.

If he hadn't already been dead, the sight before him would have stopped his heart.

Jasper was being held by four vampires, and he was barely hanging on. He hung limp in their arms, clothes torn, and chunks of his body missing. And Maria was standing over him, fiercely clawing at him and eliciting silent screams from Jasper's open mouth.

Edward didn't even think. There was no thinking where his mate was involved. Jasper was in pain, Jasper was suffering… Jasper was dying. And Edward couldn't let that happen.

He thought of Esme and Carlisle and their house on the shore that he may never get to see. The life he might have had with his mate had they met in different circumstances. They'd barely spent time together, and it might be ripped away.

Sometimes life was cruel.

But despite these thoughts, a life without Jasper wasn't a life at all. Not now that Edward would know what he was missing. So he dropped his bag behind the rock, stood so he could easily be seen, and rushed down towards the crowd.

He was willing to fight to the death for Jasper, and Edward couldn't help feeling that it would come to that. But Jasper was worth the sacrifice. And if he was going to die, Edward couldn't think of a better way than protecting his mate.

He pushed through the crowd, ignoring the hisses and growls aimed at him each time he tossed someone to the side. They weren't important. They didn't matter. When he reached the front, he found himself standing directly behind Maria.

Edward took only a moment to appraise Jasper. He was much worse than he looked from the ridge, but Edward wouldn't let that distract him. He tensed his body, running through every hunting technique. Would Maria be a mountain lion or a bear? Elegant and cunning or brute force? It didn't matter in the end. What worried Edward the most was whether her troops would fight on her behalf.

Jasper's eyes fluttered open and Edward caught a glimpse of the pain and resignation on his face. His thoughts were a mixture of apologies to Edward, disjointed thoughts, and curses. Edward tried to make Jasper feel his love and support, if only to give him hope and let him know that he was there. He knew it worked the moment Jasper's eyes widened and shot up to search him out. When they locked eyes, Jasper silently begged Edward to leave, to save himself and run.

But Edward couldn't do that.

'I love you,' he mouthed to Jasper.

Then he closed his eyes, sent a prayer out to anything listening, and lunged.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Dont hate me, I had to! I'm sorry about the ending, but it just had to end there. Please review and tell me what you thought! ~A.J. Kelly_


	9. Chapter Eight: Flight

_A/N: I am very sorry for two things: One: that this is so late. But, honestly, there wasn't much I could do about that. And two: that I suck at writing fight scenes. It's just not my strength. Plus Edward's ability sort of ruins any 'tension' in a fight. So I'm sorry this is so short, anticlimactic, and, well, boring. But there's only one more chapter after this an then an epilogue. We're nearing the end! Warnings for moderate mentions of torture and a lack of proper editing._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Eight: Flight<span>

Jasper watched in horror as Edward emerged from the crowd directly behind Maria. He hadn't wanted Edward to see him this way – too weak to fight for himself, in too much pain to even use his ability to his own benefit. Much more so, he hadn't wanted to involve Edward in this world. Edward was above all of the pain and fighting. He was pure. Despite his faults, Edward was the purest thing in Jasper's life and he didn't want to spoil that.

But he knew there wasn't anything he could do to dissuade Edward from fighting for him. While Jasper knew he should be touched by that, it only upset him. If Edward was smart, he'd turn around and forget he'd ever met Jasper. But that wasn't something Edward would do for someone he loved. Jasper knew that.

So he watched helplessly as Edward zeroed in on Maria, barely holding back a scream when Edward lunged at her. Maria was taken by surprise. Everyone had been so focused on the fight with Jasper, Edward had slipped through unnoticed.

But Maria was quick and much more experienced at fighting other vampires than Edward was. Edward grabbed her around the neck and for a second it seemed like he could control the fight, but Maria recovered quickly and her instincts had her twisting around to try to grab Edward around the waist. Edward dodged out of the way and crouched into a low stance; Jasper saw the moment Edward's hunting instincts kicked in.

Jasper used every ounce of his energy to focus his thoughts for Edward's benefit. Knowing both Edward's and Maria's fighting tactics, he knew Maria, in her temper, would go for brute strength thinking Edward was just a pest to eliminate quickly. She was use to fighting, but it was mostly fighting newborns. Like Jasper had been, her ability to fight swiftly and gracefully was rusty.

Edward locked eyes with Jasper, letting him know that he understood. Maria growled and lunged at Edward, barely scraping his arm with her nails as he dodged out of the way. Maria grew frustrated quickly. Whenever she tried to catch Edward he managed to get away.

'Grab him,' she yelled to the surrounding vampires.

All at once, the vampires jumped to order. One managed to get its arm around Edward's leg, halting his escape. No matter how hard Edward tried to get from his grasp, he was stuck. Quickly, another vampire got behind him and managed to grab Edward around the throat. The pure strength of the vampire slowly crushed his windpipe, and had Edward been required to breathe he'd have lost consciousness quickly.

Maria was covered in cuts from all of Edward's small grazes, and her bottom lip was torn open, but she still had the energy to smirk and slowly walk towards Edward.

'Well, what do we have here?' she asked. 'I've never seen you before. Are you from a rival camp?'

Edward held her gaze, but he knew enough to not say anything. He tried to read her mind, but he couldn't get anything useful from her. She was confused about why he would be there at this time, but she obviously hadn't made the connection between him and Jasper. That was a good thing.

'Who do you belong to?' she asked again. When Edward didn't answer she slapped him across the face. It took everything in Jasper not to growl at that. He didn't know what he could do, but he knew he had to help Edward. It was impossible for Jasper to use his ability on this many people, even in his best health. And he couldn't decide what emotion he would need to use on Maria to make her leave them alone.

He was best at anger – in fact, anger was one of the few emotions he'd ever had to manipulate. Jealousy, sometimes, envy, occasionally. But anger was what he used first. He couldn't just manipulate an emotion on command. It took practice, and it helped if he identified strongly with the emotion. That was why anger had come so naturally to him.

He didn't know what he could do to make Maria leave them alone. He briefly considered trying to turn them on each other, but it wasn't precise enough and it was impossible for him to guarantee that they'd turn on each other without attacking Edward or him in the process.

His only hope was that he could calm everyone down. But even that was a ridiculous thought. How could everyone being calm allow them to simply walk out of there? What he really needed was for them to pass out, but that wasn't going to happen. He simply had to hope that calming everyone down and perhaps inflicting a bit of joy would do the trick.

He'd never affected calmness or joy before. He didn't even know if he could. But after watching Edward stare down Maria just for him, he knew he had to try.

Edward tried to contain his cries at the bite marks, but Jasper was thankful that Maria was still being 'generous' with her torture. He knew he still had some time before she really started to do some damage. She wanted Edward to be able to speak at the moment but in a few minutes she'd grow frustrated and stop care about finding out answers.

Jasper focused all of his energy on calming himself down. If he wasn't calm, he'd never be able to pass the emotion on to the people who mattered. He wouldn't let himself open his eyes to look at Edward and he ignored the cries for blood from the rest of the vampires. He made himself as calm as possible, just hoping it would be enough. Then he had to focus on the joy, thinking that random happiness would cause just enough confusion that they'd be able to get away before anyone figured out what was happening.

He tried to think of things that made him happy, but he could only come up with Edward. Edward was his only source of happiness, the only good thing in his life. And he didn't know what he'd do without him. In such a short amount of time Edward had become so important to him, and even though Jasper didn't understand it he knew it was real.

So Jasper did the only thing he could think of: he focused on Edward. He focused on every good thing Edward had ever done for him, every kind word, every confused feeling Edward had ever caused in him that Jasper didn't really understand. Everything.

He felt calmness and happiness come over him from his thoughts of Edward and focused on inflicting those feelings on everyone else. He broke concentration briefly when he heard Edward cry out, but he quickly refocused. He focused as hard as he could.

And he waited.

* * *

><p>Edward tried not to cry out; he tried so hard, knowing that Jasper would be proud of him if he didn't. But he wasn't used to the pain. He'd had a few fights with vampires, but nothing like this. The centralised bites, purposefully placed where they'd hurt the most, made his entire body feel like it was on fire. Like every single fibre of his body was being simultaneously jabbed with millions of salt-covered needles and washed with fire. Coupled with Maria's slaps and blows, he wasn't sure how long he could last.<p>

He looked over at Jasper hoping for strength, but didn't find what he was looking for. Jasper's eyes were closed and a look of intense concentration covered his face. He peaked into his mind just long enough to figure out what Jasper was trying to do. There was only one way he could help him, and that was to make sure he didn't break his concentration.

He tried; he really did try to keep quiet. And the one time he did scream he noticed Jasper's eyes flicker open for a moment, and he saw the terror in them. Jasper was terrified for him. He was terrified that something would happen to him. Edward should have been happy that Jasper cared so much, but he couldn't have cared less for he was equally as terrified on Jasper's behalf.

Edward opened his eyes in time to see Maria's sharped nail pierce into his cheek, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from making a noise.

'Where are you from? Who sent you? Are you from LaRue? Valez? Who the fuck sent you?' she screamed.

Edward squeezed his eyes shut and prayed to every deity that it would stop. He didn't want to feel the pain anymore. He loved Jasper more than anything, but even then he was wishing he was in Maine with Esme and Carlisle. Safe… he just wanted to be safe.

Edward didn't know how long he had his eyes shut, but they flew open when the minds around him seemed to quiet and shut off. He looked around and saw most of the vampires around him staring off as if in a daze. Several even had a small smile on their face. Maria was inches from him, but she no longer looked cruel and heartless. Instead, she almost looked relaxed and gentle.

'Edward.' He heard his name rasped and immediately looked to Jasper. Jasper was freed from the vampires holding him, but was still hunched over in pain and holding his side. 'We need to go now; I'm not sure how long I can keep this up.'

'Jasper…' Edward started, glancing around at everyone.

'Now,' Jasper demanded. 'I won't be able to run fast and we need to be as far away as possible when I let this go.'

That shocked Edward into motion. He took a step away from his captors. Their eyes followed him and it was obvious that they were aware he was there and that he was walking away. They just didn't care. Edward inched away without removing his eyes from Maria. He could see in her eyes and hear in her mind that she was trying to fight Jasper's ability. She knew exactly what was going on and she'd finally connected the dots between the two of them. The compulsion was too strong at the moment, but she was working hard to beat it. And when she did, she wasn't going to play any longer. Edward and Jasper had to get away or they would die.

Once he was out of arms reach, Edward rushed to Jasper's side and wrapped an arm around his waist.

'Let's go,' he said. He helped Jasper limp away from the crowd. Edward saw Jasper's eyes meet the eyes of another vampire for a moment and Edward heard the words of betrayal in his mind. But there wasn't enough time to focus on that.

Edward didn't stop to pick up his bag from outside the camp. He single-mindedly walked them to the edge of the forest. Jasper wasn't able to help much, and while Edward had his fair share of cuts, it was nothing compared to what Jasper had suffered.

When they reached the edge of the forest Edward propped Jasper up against a tree and knelt down next to him.

'How do you feel?'

'Like shit,' Jasper admitted. He leaned his head back against the trunk. 'I'm still holding on to the Emotions, but I don't know how much longer I can. We need to go farther away. If I drop it here they'll catch up with us.'

'I'm not sure how much farther we can go,' Edward confessed. 'I don't have that much strength, and neither do you. We need… we can't walk.'

Jasper sighed and looked out into the woods. It didn't seem fair that they'd get this far only to be caught at the border. He could feel his ability slipping and it took more effort to keep it going than before. He was about to close his eyes when he noticed a black colour peeking out from between the tree leaves. He looked closer and almost laughed at what he saw.

'There's a car,' he whispered.

'What?'

'There's a car over there. Someone must be around.'

Edward cast his mind around and found the thoughts of a single, early-morning park goer. He was a quarter-mile away, fishing at the lake and wouldn't return for several hours. Morals be damned, Edward heaved Jasper onto his feet and guided them as quickly as he could towards the car.

'Do you think you could start it?' Jasper asked.

'The driver left the key in the car,' Edward said. 'He's fishing by the lake.'

He leaned Jasper on the doorframe and looked into the car windows. The key was sitting between the seats and the window was open, so Edward reached into the car, grabbed the keys, and unlocked Jasper's door. After he helped Jasper in and shut the door he turned to him.

'Can you keep it going for just a few minutes longer? There's something I need to do.'

Jasper nodded wearily, finally closing his eyes and trying not to let the pain get the best of him. Edward locked the door and took the keys with him before running off to find the lone fisherman. He didn't want some poor innocent out in the middle of the woods when a herd of angry vampires came bounding out. It only took him five minutes to find him, knock him unconscious, carry his body and equipment back into the main square of town, steal some money from his pockets with the full intention of paying him back some day, and then contact the police about a false contamination in the park so the entire area would be closed off for several days.

He rushed back to Jasper and was glad to see that Jasper still had his look of concentration which meant they had more time. Without another word he started the car and drove as fast as he could away from that forest.

'Where did you go?' Jasper asked.

'I couldn't leave the guy there if Maria decides to search for us.'

'I'd be more surprised if she didn't.'

'Exactly. And then I called in a false contamination on the park so no one would be allowed in there for a few days. Humans shouldn't die just because Maria is mad.'

Jasper managed a chuckle and his head dropped to the side to look at Edward. 'Are you okay? I know you're hurt; it couldn't have been easy dragging me the whole way. Will you be okay to drive?'

'I'll be fine,' Edward insisted. 'You just keep it up as long as you can.'

Jasper nodded and settled into the chair. He closed his eyes but kept his head tilted towards Edward. When they reached the border of Texas and Louisiana, Jasper's eyes flew open and he let out a huge sigh.

'I lost it,' he muttered.

'That's fine, we're almost out of Texas, they'll never catch us now.'

Jasper stared at him and then turned to look out the window. 'I've never left Texas before,' he said, quietly. 'I never thought I'd get to.'

'Well we're heading to Louisiana right now. We'll cut up the East Coast and in a few days we should be with my family.'

'Where are we going?'

'Maine. It's at the northern tip of the East Coast,' he explained when Jasper's brow furrowed in confusion. He didn't think Jasper had too much knowledge of geography and what little he'd had as a human had probably been lost from years of disuse as a vampire. 'It'll take us a few days, but I'm going as fast as I can. We'll stop to rest eventually, but not for several states. We need to put more room between us.'

'I wish I could help but I never learned to drive.'

'Well I guess that's something I can teach you once we're all better,' Edward said with a smile. His stomach jumped a bit when Jasper smiled back at him.

As the miles slipped past, Edward could see Jasper visibly relaxing. They hit Georgia by nightfall and only then did Edward comfortable enough to stop. They needed petrol greatly and even though vampires were capable of staying in one place for hours they did, eventually, need to move.

Edward hardly noticed the time it took. He was too busy enjoying himself by watching Jasper. Jasper was like a little child, staring out the window as the world went past. He'd loved the French-style of New Orleans and gawked at the large plantations of the South. Edward couldn't wait to get him in the North where he could experience the charm of New England or the mansions of Newport. He knew they'd have to stay out of sight for some time while Jasper adjusted to an all animal diet, but at the first opportunity he vowed that he would take Jasper to New York. He couldn't wait to see Jasper's reaction to so dense a city.

Their drive was relatively quiet with only a few questions asked between them. They both were concerned with healing, which, thanks to their vampire bodies and a quick stop in a forest for a hunt, were both fully healed by the time they hit Massachusetts.

And by Connecticut Jasper was mentally and physically healed enough to have a conversation.

When they drove over the border of Maine everything changed. Jasper grew quiet and introspective and the closer they got to Jonesport, the more the tension in the car grew.

'Are you alright,' Edward finally asked.

Jasper didn't say anything for a few minutes before he turned to look out the window. Edward understood – Jasper didn't want him to see his emotions. It hurt Edward, but he understood why he did it.

'What if they don't like me,' he asked.

'It's not going to happen,' Edward insisted. 'You make me happy and there is nothing my parents want more in the world than for me to be happy.'

'But I'm the last person in the world who should make you happy,' Jasper protested. 'I'm a monster. Because of me you got hurt – tortured! Just look at me.' He thrust out his arm so Edward could see the bite marks and scars that littered his skin, both old and new.

Edward covered his arm with his hand, purposely letting his sleeve drag up so his own scars were exposed.

'I regret nothing, Jasper. I'd fight for you again if I had to. But it's over now. You're finally free. And I'm going to show you that you are not a monster. You are better than Maria and you're certainly better than what she tried to make you become. And I'm proud of who you've become. You may have been lost when I first met you, but so was I. And together we'll find our way. That is who my parents will see because that is who you are.'

'Are you sure?' Jasper asked.

'I'm surer of this than of anything else.'

And he was. Edward had absolutely no doubts that Jasper would fit in with Carlisle and Esme. Jasper belonged in their family. Jasper belonged to him.

* * *

><p>Edward couldn't contain his excitement as he drove up the long driveway and the moment he caught sight of the small Cape Cod style house overlooking the sea he cut the engine without even bothering to get all of the way up the drive. He ran towards the house, pausing only long enough to pull Jasper from his seat and drag him behind him. When he was several feet away from the house the door opened and Esme stepped out onto the front porch. Edward didn't stop – he caught her up in his arms and swore that he'd never let her go.<p>

He saw Carlisle stop in the door frame, he heard talking, and he could still feel Jasper's hand clasped tightly with his. But none of that really registered. He could only think one thing: he was finally home.


	10. Chapter Nine: Freedom

_A/N: I'm back! And I don't think the wait was as long this time. Progress? Well, this is the second to the last chapter. The next chapter is an epilogue. I've tweaked Esme's history a bit to suit my purposes, just so you know. I can't remember exactly what her canon story was, but I know it's not the same. So fair warning. Also, smut warning. It's not terribly graphic, but if you don't want to read it you can skip the final part of the chapter._

_Thank you all for sticking with this story. I appreciate every single review (even if I can't respond) and thank everyone for your patience as I finish this. I know it's frustrating as a reader to have long gaps between updates, but I appreciate everyone understanding that as much as I enjoy writing my stories and plan to finish every single one, fanfiction just isn't a priority. _

_I hope you enjoy the new chapter and please let me know what you think. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Nine: Freedom<span>

'You're home, you're home, you're home,' Esme kept whispering into his ear. Edward smiled and held her closer.

'I'm home,' Edward said. He buried his face into her hair and smelled the calming scent that reminded him of home. In the years he'd known Esme, it wasn't until he'd left that he truly realised how much he looked at her as a mother-figure. She was a comfort in the house, the one he could go to when he wanted to discuss his frustrations. Carlisle was his father and sire, but Edward had always felt like he was on the cusp of disappointing him. He'd never worried about disappointing Esme because he knew she'd accept him no matter his decisions. Sure there had been moments of doubt, but in the end he knew she'd always love and listen to him.

He pulled away and looked back to Jasper. He was standing awkwardly on the steps of the porch, one hand still clasped in Edward's, and looking at Carlisle – who was doing his best to seem welcoming to the clearly battle-hardened man his son had brought home – with a wary smile.

'Hello, I'm Carlisle,' he said, holding his hand out to Jasper. Jasper automatically reached his hand out, only to be forced to let it fall back when he realised it was stuck in Edward's and wouldn't move.

The jerk of his hand brought Edward back to the situation. He laughed and went to stand next to Jasper. 'Carlisle, Esme, this is my mate, Jasper. Jasper, this is my family.'

'Pleased to meet you,' Jasper said, trying to recall his rusty manners.

Esme let out a joyful sound she'd never made before, then Jasper found him wrapped in her arms. She pulled away before he could make a move – not that he knew what he should have done – but her grin lit up her entire face.

'Welcome to the family, Jasper,' Carlisle said. 'Why don't you both come inside? Edward, we got your letter just this morning. Esme has already prepared your room and cleaned the whole house.'

'And your piano has been turned,' Esme added. Edward smiled gratefully. Leave it to Esme to know that had been foremost on his mind.

'Thank you, Esme. I've missed my piano almost as much I missed you both.'

'Well, you'll have to play for us once you're settled,' Esme said.

'I will,' Edward promised.

Carlisle and Esme walked into the house and Edward made to follow, but Jasper held him back. Edward turned to him and placed his hand on Jasper's jaw.

'What's wrong?' he asked.

Jasper's mind was a jumble of thoughts that Edward could barely catch. Finally one stuck out, and even though he still seemed unable to voice his thoughts and worries, Edward zeroed in on it, hoping it'd start Jasper talking.

'Yes, I play the piano. I thought I'd told you, I'm sorry if I didn't.'

Jasper was quiet for a moment longer, before he finally sighed and leaned his forehead on Edward's shoulder.

'We barely know each other,' he whispered. 'What they hell have we done? We barely know each other and now I've run away from all I've ever known.'

Edward froze and gently urged Jasper to lift his head. 'Do you regret leaving with me now?' he asked.

'No… I don't know. I don't know what I'm feeling, I've never…' Jasper trailed off and again his mind was riddled with thoughts and emotions he'd never had to deal with before.

'Hey, listen to me. It's okay to be confused – hell, I'm confused and worried about this too. Yes, we still have a lot to learn about each other. But we'll do that. And now it's safe for us to get to know each other at our own pace. No psychotic murderess having control over your life, threatening you.'

Jasper smiled and that was the excuse Edward needed to swoop in and kiss him.

'I'm not sure I know how to be part of a family,' Jasper finally confessed. 'I haven't been part of a family since… and even then I preferred to be alone.'

'That's fine, Jasper. I'm not exactly a sociable person either. I'd much rather be alone, as well. So when you get overwhelmed, it's fine. But maybe we can go off and be alone together?'

Jasper nodded and backed away slightly. 'I am trying,' he stressed.

'I know you are,' Edward confirmed. 'I'm not worried about you at all. We have a lot of things to learn about each other. Even though we're mates we haven't had time to know each other as mates. The priority was getting you out of there. But now is our opportunity. And it'll take time.'

'I get angry, I'm mean. I don't want you to regret that I'm your mate,' Jasper said. Edward tried to contain his joy at hearing Jasper actually confess that they were mates, but it just solidified his decisions.

'I'm stubborn and can be controlling. When I get angry I stifle it until I explode. No one's perfect. But we'll figure it out together. Right?'

'Right,' Jasper said. Edward accepted the statement, even if there was a hint of uncertainty. Jasper's mind was still confused, but Edward was beginning to figure the thoughts out. So much had happened so quickly, and while Jasper was happy to be away from Maria and the life of pain and misery, it was all he'd known. He wanted the life Edward offered him, but he wasn't sure how to take it. He was terrified that the instincts trained into him since his vampiric birth would emerge and destroy this serenity. But Edward refused to let that happen. He knew that with time and patience, he'd become as much a part of their family as Esme.

With a final kiss, Edward took Jasper's hand back and drew him into the house.

xXx

Jasper wasn't sure if Carlisle or Esme liked him. They smiled at him, they spoke to him, but Jasper just didn't know if they _liked_ him. Usually he'd use his ability to just read what they were feeling, but his own thoughts and emotions were so muddled that he couldn't get a clear reading from anyone.

Edward and Esme carried most of the conversation, with Carlisle interjecting. Jasper only spoke when asked a question. He spent most of the time just watching them interact.

He could barely remember his human family. The memories were more like flashes of faces, scents, and emotions. But what he could remember filled him with such a yearning and warmth. He'd buried those emotions long ago; but now, sitting pressed against Edward and watching him laugh as Esme told him story after story of what had been going on in his absence, Jasper could feel the same warmth.

He wasn't one to share his feelings with others, but he really wanted to be a part of this family. He wanted to be a good mate to Edward – even if he didn't know how to do that.

He just didn't want Edward to lose patience with him.

He looked down at his knee when Edward lightly squeezed it. It helped break him from his tumultuous thoughts – which must have been Edward's intentions – and let him concentrate on the conversation.

Until it turned to Edward's trip. Edward didn't say much about his time in Texas, which Jasper was thankful for. And Esme and Carlisle didn't push, seeming to sense that it was still a sore subject.

Instead, Edward told them about their happy meetings, like when he taught Jasper how to hunt animals.

'Did you know that some vampires choose to sustain themselves on animal blood rather than human blood,' Carlisle asked, kindly. Jasper could tell from the way he said it that Carlisle was genuinely curious but wouldn't push. That helped Jasper pick and choose what he said.

'All I was taught was human blood,' he confessed. 'M—there wasn't any other way as far as I knew.'

'You must have thought Edward was insane,' Esme said, laughing at Edward's disgruntled glare.

'I did for a bit,' Jasper said, finally feeling a smile slip on his face. 'I couldn't imagine why he would want to drink animal blood – and really it still doesn't taste as good as human blood to me. But I was intrigued that there was another option. That I didn't have to feel like…' he stopped talking when he realised what he was about to say. 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that.'

'It is fine, Jasper,' Carlisle said. 'All of us have a past and we don't judge you for yours. I don't know your story, but you seem to have survived brilliantly through some very tough times.'

Jasper looked down at his arms and studied the bite marks. They were an ever-present reminder of the pain and horror of his life. Before he'd thought they were a penitence for his crimes, but now, perhaps, they could be worn with pride: the scars of a survivor.

'He's wonderful,' Edward said, nodding in agreement with Carlisle's words. 'I'll forever be in awe of his determination and happy that I found him.'

Esme clapped her hands and Jasper just knew that if she could produce tears she'd be crying from happiness. Even Carlisle smiled at him. And when Edward put his arm around his shoulder, Jasper somehow knew that everything would turn out okay.

xXx

The first few days were stressful for Jasper. Their bedroom was wonderful and Jasper found himself going there several times a day just for the privacy and to know that he had a space of his own. Edward respected his privacy and somehow just seemed to know when he should follow Jasper into the room and when he should leave him alone.

When he left him alone, Edward would play the piano for him. It was something Jasper had grown to love. Many times as soon as Edward would start to play, Jasper would feel himself drawn out of the room and into the living room. He loved to watch Edward play. Peace would fall over his face and he'd lose himself in the moment. It gave Jasper free-range to study Edward as much as he wanted.

Edward was beautiful, and Jasper had never really taken the time to fully realise that. His shock of penny-red hair contrasted with his pale skin, and many times just staring at Edward could make Jasper heat up with arousal.

They'd both agreed that it was too soon to act on their physical desires, but that didn't stop Jasper from thinking about it. And, as a positive side effect, he'd found a great benefit of Edward's mind reading.

Nothing was more enjoyable that making Edward flustered and causing the pianist to play a false note. Edward pretend to get mad, but from the heated glances sent his way Jasper never believed him.

xXx

Jasper returned from a hunting trip only to find the house empty. Esme was on the back porch reading a book and looking at the sea. For the first time Jasper found himself alone without Edward as a buffer. Jasper debated what to do. His first thought was to go into his room and stay there until Edward returned. But a smaller part of him – the part he knew he had to follow – wanted to take advantage of the alone time and get to know Esme better.

Following the small desire, he led himself onto the back porch and sat in the seat opposite Esme. The moment he came into view she set aside her book and smiled up at him.

'Hello, Jasper.'

'Hello, Esme. Where are Edward and Carlisle?'

'Carlisle took him down to the hospital to see about getting him a job.'

That brought Jasper up short. He'd never thought about jobs or money. He hadn't had a job since being a human, and even that was farm work more than anything else.

'S-should I get a job?' he asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. He wanted to contribute to the family and didn't want it to seem like their hospitality was being taken advantage of, but he didn't know what he could possible do.

'Only if you want to, dear. But it might be best to wait until you have better control over your bloodlust. You're doing well so far and I'm amazed that you can go hunting by yourself now, but we don't want to make you feel uncomfortable.'

'I just don't want anyone to think I'm not doing my part.'

Esme placed her hand on Jasper's knee and he was amazed at how that simple action calmed him down and assured him. Esme had the same effect on him as Edward. Sometimes he felt like nothing could hurt him when they were around. Even Carlisle assured him with his strong, steady silence. He tended to let his wife dominate the conversation, but when Carlisle spoke, people listened. Jasper found himself looking to Carlisle for cues on how to act in each situation. He was amazed at how easily he had been integrated into the unusual family.

'You being here has made Edward happier than I have ever seen him. As long as you keep that smile on my boy's face you can do whatever you want and you'll be welcomed.'

Jasper looked away. He was sure that if he could blush he would be, but there was still one large thing weighing on his mind.

'I'm afraid you'll change your mind once you know who I am,' he confessed quietly.

'And who are you?'

'I'm a monster,' Jasper said, after a time. He turned to look at Esme and for the first time he let her see who he truly was. 'I've killed, I was trained by a monster to murder people. To force others to murder. Until I met Edward I didn't know any other way. I'm a soldier, a General, in a war fought for the sole purpose of killing off others you don't like. I've hated, I've tortured, I've killed. I'm the worst possible person you could want for Edward. But he's so blinded to who I really am.'

Esme listened carefully as he vented. Once he was done she stood up and knelt in front of him, holding both of his hands on his lap.

'Edward's not blinded,' Esme said. 'He hasn't said anything about you to me, but he's hinted. And your scars tell a story, as well. He knows what you are. But where you see a monster, he sees someone raised to believe something that was false, someone who turned from that once they learned that there was something better. He sees who you are, not what you've done. And Carlisle and I do, as well. Whatever you've done, Jasper, whoever you were, that's in the past. You are prefect for Edward. You ground him, you make him smile. In exchange, he will heal you.'

'How can you be so sure?' Jasper ask, desperate for an answer. This was the final piece of the puzzle; what had been holding him back from fully imagining this life with Edward.

'The two of us are not so different,' Esme said. 'Carlisle found me after I'd tried to commit suicide. I had a lover and soon after we met I found out I was pregnant. I was so ashamed of myself. I never told my lover and left him soon after. I denied it to myself until I couldn't deny it any longer. And then I hated the child. I never thought about trying to get rid of it, but I didn't take care of myself as I should, I resented that it existed, and several times I wished it was dead. It wasn't until the final weeks of my pregnancy that I started to warm up to the idea.

'I went into labour and my daughter was born on November twelfth. It was a Saturday, and sunny. But only minutes after she was born the doctor came in and said she had been stillborn.' Esme stopped her story and looked down at her hands. The sadness on her face was so plain that Jasper could almost believe tears were falling from her eyes. 'I felt so guilty,' Esme whispered. 'I thought it was my fault. I hadn't take care of her, it was my fault she hadn't developed properly. I'd hated her. I didn't want to live with myself. I was a monster,' she said, purposefully echoing Jasper's words.

Jasper protested, but Esme stopped him with a raise of her hand. 'I don't think that now, because I've forgiven myself and I've grieved. But back then, I thought my only escape from the pain was the die. So I took my daughter and buried her. And then I went to the cliff and jumped. Carlisle was the doctor who treated me after I was found. He'd treated me when I was younger and recognised me. I guess he felt a pull towards me because once he realised it was hopeless to try to save me, he turned me.

'And then he showed me that I wasn't a monster. That I could be something other than my mistakes. I'll be forever gratefully for him coming into my life and showing me what I missed. Let Edward do the same for you.'

'You're not a monster,' Jasper repeated.

Esme smiled and kissed his cheek before she stood. 'And neither are you,' she said. She left the porch and let Jasper mull over her words.

Two hours later when Edward returned that's where he found him, staring off at the sea. Edward wiggled his way into the remaining space on the chair and wrapped his arms around Jasper's body.

'How was your day?' Jasper asked after they'd spent several minutes in silence.

'It was good. You're look at Dr Edward Cullen, the newest general practitioner of Jonesport Hospital.'

'Well, congratulations, Doctor.' Jasper was shocked at the growl that came from Edward, but when he realised that it was from arousal rather than anger, he smiled and hesitantly kissed Edward.

'And your day?' Edward asked after the ended their kiss.

'It was good. I went hunting and then spoke to Esme. She told me about herself. We-we're not so different, I think.'

'You're not,' Edward agreed. 'You're both kind, strong souls who have overcome terrible things and come out the other end wonderful people. I knew that you two would connect.'

'She's very nice.'

'She is.'

'And Carlisle, too. He always seems so calm and in control.'

'I don't know how he does it, honestly. I'd love to be like him some day, but I just don't have the temperament. Carlisle is so giving and caring, but he's also strong and confident. He can be relied on to solve any problem. I admire that about him.'

Jasper hummed and leaned back in Edward's arms. 'Funny, that's how I see you. I guess you and Carlisle are just as similar as Esme and I.'

They didn't say much for the rest of the night, but they didn't need to. They watched the sunrise over the sea, taking comfort in the embrace of the other. Jasper's thoughts were sorting themselves out as he thought over his conversation with Esme. Maybe she was right. Maybe he wasn't broken. He already felt better in the few weeks they'd been there. Maybe, just maybe, with Edward's help he would heal.

xXx

Three months after they'd arrived in Maine, Jasper found himself doing his favourite thing: teasing Edward.

Esme and Carlisle were having a 'date night' at a resort several towns away in an attempt to give the two men some much needed alone time. Edward was playing Liszt and Jasper found himself caught up in watching those dexterous fingers fly across the keys. It was when he started to imagine what Edward could do with those fingers that Jasper got into trouble.

He could almost see those slim fingers wrapped around his hard shaft, pulling and pushing him towards completion. Then his fingers would reach down and cup his balls, trailing back to brush along the cleft of his ass. Just as Jasper's imaginary-Edward's finger was breeching the checks, the music surrounding him stopped.

Jasper looked at Edward with a smirk. The vampire was ram-rod straight on the piano bench, glaring that the keys.

_Are you all right?_ Jasper thought, knowing the answer.

Edward's eyes shot up and Jasper grin almost slipped off his face when he saw the pitch black eyes of his mate. He'd never seen them so dark, and his stomach tensed with the thought that he had caused it.

_You're beautiful when you play,_ Jasper thought. _My body feels like it's on fire when you look at me like that._

Jasper had barely finished the thought when Edward was in front of him, pressing him against the couch cushions.

'There have been the hardest two weeks of my life,' Edward rasped. 'I want you so much, I have since I first saw you.'

Jasper plunged his hands into Edward's hair and pulled him down so their lips met in a fiery kiss. Edward responded immediately, coaxing Jasper's mouth open so his tongue could sweep inside. Jasper dropped his hands to Edward's waist and pulled them flush together, their jean-clad erections grinding against each other.

In the three months they'd been there, Jasper had grown more confident in his relationship with Edward. There were still times he reverted back to insecurity and worry, but Edward showed him daily that he loved Jasper and was committed to him. And Jasper was willing to let himself go and trust Edward and what they had.

When the kiss broke, Jasper angled his head so he could look into Edward's eyes. 'You have me, Edward. I know I'm still adjusting to this, but these few months… fuck, they've been the best of my life. I don't think I could thank you enough for all you did to get me out of there.'

Edward just responded by kissing him deeply. Jasper's hands wandered over Edward's hips and then around to grab his ass and pull him as close as he could. Without words, they both seemed to have reached a silent agreement that they were going further than they had before. Edward reached up underneath Jasper's shirt and his fingers brushed over a nipple, drawing a deep moan from Jasper. They pulled back from each other and each removed their own shirts and after a bit of manoeuvring managed to remove their trousers as well until only the thin material of their underwear was left between them.

Once their clothes were removed they were back together, lips and hands exploring every inch of skin they could reach. It was the best feeling Jasper had ever had, and there weren't enough words to describe how it felt to be touched with love rather than anger and hate.

Jasper gasped when Edward's hand dropped to pull his underwear down and run his fingers along the length of his erection. It felt better than his fantasies, and Jasper quickly pushed down Edward's remaining garment to return the favour. Soon, Jasper was lying along the length of the couch with Edward hovering above him. Both of their hands worked together to pleasure the other. Too soon, Jasper was gasping out Edward's name and coming across their stomachs. He managed to keep up his ministrations and a few pumps later, Edward was following.

Edward collapsed on top of Jasper, and Jasper used his remaining strength to wrap his arms around Edward's waist.

'That was fucking brilliant,' Edward rasped out. Jasper laughed at Edward's words – the prim and proper vampire rarely swore, and Jasper always found great joy whenever he did. It was like a thrill of excitement shot through him every time some crude word would come out of that picture-perfect mouth.

'Fucking brilliant,' Jasper agreed. His thumb brushed the small of Edward's back. When Edward shuddered in pleasure he grew bolder with his exploration and let the thumb travel deeper until he dragged his fingers softly along the crevice of Edward's ass. Edward arched towards him in response and Jasper found himself fascinated in watching Edward's face. Small gasps came out from between his parted lips, bruised from their frantic kissing, and his eyes were closed, quivering with each arch of his body.

Jasper's erection was quickly growing, and soon they were brushing together. Edward took both of their cocks in his hands and Jasper continued to let his fingers dip into the crack of Edward's ass. Soon they were both releasing again, gasping into each other's mouths.

'I love you,' Edward whispered against his lips. It wasn't the first time he'd said it, but it was the first time it had truly struck Jasper deep in his core.

Because it was the first time he felt he could return the feelings.

'I love you too,' he whispered back.

* * *

><p><em>AN: What do you think? Please let me know if a review. Even if I don't get a chance to respond I do read every one of them and greatly appreciate them. They make my day. The Epilogue is going to be several years in the future. _

_Thanks for reading! ~A.J. Kelly_


	11. Chapter Ten: Epilogue, 2013

_A/N: Two chapters in one day?! Yes! I was motivated to finish this story and move on to the other incomplete stories I have. So if you've just come to this chapter without reading Chapter Nine, go back!_

_Yes, this is it. The final chapter. It's just a short epilogue. There was something I wanted to resolve and I wanted to give a look at Edward and Jasper's lives throughout the years._

_Thank you everyone for sticking with me, and I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm not sure I'll ever write another Edward/Jasper story again, but if I do I hope you will give it a shot. For the final time, enjoy!_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Ten: Epilogue, 2013<span>

_Ninety Years Later…_

'Love, do you have the box with my sheet music in it? I can't find it.'

'I put it in the living room,' Jasper shouted back. The sound of desperate rummaging could be heard before a heavy sigh seemed to echo throughout the house.

_Find it?_ He asked.

'Thank you,' floated up through the floorboards to Jasper's sensitive ears. He smiled and turned back to his project.

They'd just moved into their new home. Jasper was excited to live in Washington for the first time. They'd moved all over the world, but for the first time in twenty years they were back in the United States. They'd gotten their own place, but Carlisle and Esme lived only a few houses away. They'd developed the housing situation several years ago. Separate houses gave them privacy, but living close still allowed them to see each other whenever they wanted. Very rarely did they share a house anymore, but both couples seemed to enjoy the privacy of separate houses within walking distance to each other.

Esme liked them being close because after a few years of living together, Jasper had discovered that after an argument he liked to clean to work off stress and anger. So whenever he was pissed at Edward, Esme always tried to get him to come over to her house and clean.

In their new house, Jasper was busy painting their room. The soft moss green was his favourite colour and Jasper thought it blended perfectly with the deep green of the trees surrounding their house. Not to mention that, based on Edward's descriptions, it was an almost perfect match for Edward's eyes when he'd been human.

In the past ninety years, Jasper had grown and matured in ways he'd never have imagined when he first met Edward. The years spent with Maria were long forgotten, eclipsed by memories of lust-filled nights in bed with Edward, family vacations, and sunrises and sunsets spent in Edward's arms. The man who Jasper had been was barely recognisable by the man he had become.

And for that, Jasper gave all the credit to Edward. Edward had saved him, loved him and helped him. He was eternally thankful that Edward had found him and tried to show Edward daily just how thankful he was.

Their relationship wasn't perfect. They were both stubborn and wanted to be right the majority of the time. But no matter how much they fought, they were always quick to make up and as time went on they grew more accustomed to each other and learned how to interact seamlessly. Ninety years on most of their fights were over little things like where to eat or what movie to see. They were 'fun fights' as Edward called them. Good natured bickering that added a bit of spice.

'Want to go for a run in the forest for dinner tonight?' Edward asked, suddenly appearing in the doorframe.

'I could go for some mountain lion,' Jasper said. Edward smiled and came into the room to check the progress of the paint.

'Looks great, love. I really like this colour for the bedroom.'

'See, I told you. And you wanted blue,' Jasper scoffed. 'Blue.'

'I happen to like blue.'

'Oh, it's perfectly good colour, I'm not denying that. But you were still wrong. And I was right.' To drive the point home, Jasper childishly stuck out his tongue.

'If you keep poking that tongue out at me, I can't be held responsible for what I do,' Edward growled.

_Promises, promises_, Jasper teased as he went back to painting. Edward laughed and pressed against Jasper's back. He nibbled his neck lightly before pressing a kiss at the junction.

'Maybe after we hunt we can cash in that promise?' He whispered, moving his lips up to ghost over Jasper's ear.

Jasper hummed and let his head fall back to rest on Edward's shoulders. 'That sounds like a plan.'

Edward kissed his temple before pulling away. 'Let's finish up the unpacking. I can't believe we've been here a month and we still haven't finished. This is the longest we've ever taken. It's pathetic.'

'We're men, as long as the couch and TV are ready, who cares about everything else? We've been busy,' Jasper said with a shrug.

'Yes, busy fucking.'

'You say that like it's a bad thing,' Jasper said with a smirked.

'Eventually we have to get something done,' Edward said.

'We are! See, paint,' Jasper said, gesturing to the painted wall with the roller.

'Well we need to get it done. Esme and Carlisle are coming over tomorrow and if most of our things are still in boxes we'll never hear the end of it,' Edward said over his shoulder as he walked downstairs to finish setting up the rooms down there.

Jasper finished painting the bedroom before moving to the library to set up their bookshelves and unbox all of their books and music. He was about halfway through when he heard Edward say his name.

Jasper placed the books in his hand on the shelf and went to search for Edward. He found him sitting in the completed living room, holding a large package in his hands. Jasper furrowed his brow as he looked at the box.

'Did you order something?' Jasper asked. He sat down next to Edward on the couch and wrapped an arm around him, expecting for Edward to show him some fantastic item he'd purchased for their home.

'No, it's addressed to you.'

Jasper frowned and leaned forward. 'I didn't order anything. Who'd send me a package?'

'I don't know, why don't you open it?' Edward passed the box to Jasper. It wasn't heavy, but there was some weight to it.

Jasper used a nail to rip the tape and lifted the flaps. There was something wrapped in tissue paper, but before he could get to it, there was a letter resting on the top. Jasper took the letter and flipped it open, and suddenly the world seemed to stop.

_Jasper,_

_ I'm sure you never expected to hear from me. And you probably never wanted to hear my name or think of me again. What I did to you was horrible. At the time I did it out of survival, but I now know that, even if it was survival, it was wrong._

_ I'm very sorry for what I did to damage our friendship. You were the one person I felt I could trust back then and I threw it away for a chance at power. I'm not asking you to forgive me – how could I ask that when I almost got you killed? But I wanted to tell you how much I regret what happened._

_ Maria is dead, if you wanted to know. She was killed in one of the battles about ten years after you left. Your bravery to escape inspired others and over the years her numbers dwindled and she was vulnerable. With her death, I also became free and my world gained perspective. If you're still running from her, you don't need to anymore. She's done hurting the innocent._

_ I finally found my mate. Catherine is more than I could hope for. I hope that whoever the vampire is that came to rescue you, he is still with you. He must have loved you to fight an entire army._

_ But the reason I'm writing this is important. The day you planned to leave you packed a bag. It got tramped in the mud and some of your clothes were torn apart in rage, but I managed to save the important parts. I kept it for all these years hoping to give them back to you, but I haven't gotten up the courage to write this letter._

_ Finally Catherine tracked you down and convinced me it was time. I'm sorry I was weak and afraid. No matter how you despise me, know that I still value what I consider a deep friendship._

_ I wish you all the best in your life and hope, someday, that we may meet again._

_Your humble friend,_

_Peter_

'Jasper, what is it?' Edward asked, startled over Jasper's sudden shift in mood.

'It's from Peter,' Jasper said.

'Peter, who's Peter?'

'Peter is the one who betrayed me. I told him I was going and he told Maria. It's because of him the plan didn't work.' Jasper passed the note to Edward and waited while he read it.

Jasper was startled. He had thought he'd never hear from Peter again. He'd thought of his old friend several times over the years. Sometimes he wondered if he had ever made it out alive and Jasper was surprised to find that he was happy he had. He understood why Peter did what he did. He didn't like it, but he understood. Just as Peter had said: it was survival. It was cruel and heartless, but Jasper had to admit to himself that had the tables been reversed self-preservation would have made him do the same thing.

He was pleased to know that Maria had finally been killed. He'd spent the first twenty years of his life with Edward looking over his shoulder everywhere they went. He refused to step anywhere near the South. While the paranoia had diminished over the years, it was a relief to know that he could finally stop running.

'What bag is he talking about,' Edward asked when he finished the letter.

'Before I left I packed a bag. I had some clothes and money in there. But there were also some photos and things from my human life.'

'Really?' Edward asked, leaning over his shoulder to get a better look inside the box. 'Well, open it, see what's inside.'

Jasper hesitated a moment then lifted the sheet of tissue paper. A strangled noise came out of him as he lifted a photo out of the box. 'It's my family,' he whispered.

He held the old, weathered photo out for Edward to see. In it, Jasper stood in his military regalia next to a middle-aged woman in a plain dress, an older man in working clothes, and a teenaged boy in overalls and a long-sleeved shirt.

'It's all I remember of them,' Jasper said. 'I can't even remember their names anymore. Or the colours of their eyes or hair. I just know this. I think it was taken before I left to fight in the war. For some reason I've always thought that my parents had the photo taken so there was at least one family photo before I went off to die. I'm not sure if that's a memory or some story I came up with in my head. But it's what I tell myself.'

'You look very handsome in your uniform,' Edward said. 'And your have your mother's texture of hair.'

'I've always thought that. The colour in the photo looks similar, so I've thought I got my hair from her.'

'And your eyes look like your father's. Same bone structure, as well.'

Jasper nodded. He couldn't tear his eyes from the photo. He thought he'd never see it again and for years had mourned the loss of that one final attachment to his old life, to the people who had loved and cared for him as a human. He often wondered what had happened to them, but he couldn't even remember where he lived and without that and their names it was hopeless. But he hoped they had all grown to be old and happy without him.

He put that photo down, and went to the next item. It was the photo taken on the day he joined the military. He looked much the same as in the other photo, but he was more rigid and alert – like a soldier.

He put that photo next to the others and went back into the box to retrieve the remaining items. He pulled out three medals, an identification badge, and a hat, all the items he had recovered from his bloodied, ripped uniform after first transforming. His military medals and badges had drops of blood still on the fabric portions, but they had been small compared to the rest of the outfit. And the military hat that had been knocked from his head was spotless.

Edward took the medals from his hands and reverently held them up to the light. 'We'll have to frame all of this. Find a way to keep the photos from the light so they don't fade. These have to last a lifetime.'

'I thought I'd never see these again,' Jasper said, finally voicing everything. 'I thought the last bits of my life were lost. I – I just don't know what to think.'

Edward thought for a bit before saying, 'I think I can finally forgive Peter. I didn't know exactly who it was, but for all these years I've hated the person who betrayed you to that woman, who caused you to be tortured. But now he's given something back to you that was lost. So I think I can forgive him now. It was a different world and no one knows what they'd do in the same situation.'

'I'd have done the same thing,' Jasper admitted. 'I might not have liked what he did, but I understood why he did it.'

'Do you want to send something back,' Edward asked. There wasn't a return address, but it'd be easy enough to use contacts to find him.

Jasper shook his head. 'Not yet, I'm not ready for that yet. But maybe, someday, we'll meet again.'

Edward kissed his cheek and carefully picked up the precious items. Jasper took a moment for himself to think over the past until his Edward gathered him in his arms and dragged him outside to go hunting.

xXx

His photos and medals were professionally framed and Edward placed them front and centre on the mantel of the fireplace.

While Jasper was happy to have them displayed, he enjoyed even more the feelings of pride that Edward got towards him whenever he saw them. With the items from his past and the apology from Peter, Jasper felt he was finally ready to put his life behind him. He vowed that never again would he think of that horrible time – his pre-Edward life.

The photos and medals moved with them throughout the years, and in every house Edward would proudly place them somewhere everyone could see. That helped Jasper develop his love of history and drove his desire to become an expert in Civil War history. He used his 'namesake-ancestor' Jasper as his introduction to the historians he talked to, and hoped to one day write a novel set in the Civil War.

While Jasper tended to keep his focus to history, accumulating more and more knowledge, Edward bounced around. He was brilliant, even by vampire standards, and got bored easily with learning the same thing over and over again. Over the years Edward got postgraduate degrees in Medicine, Science, English, several different languages, Music, and several times he even studied History with Jasper so they could have all the same classes.

When they didn't want to go to school, they travelled. Their goal was to visit every country in the world, and they'd return somewhere when the country's name or borders changed. They also joked that someday they would have fucked in every major city of the world. It was a private goal, one where they didn't mind marking locations off the list several times.

His life was more than Jasper could imagine. He loved Edward with everything in him and together they tried to make the other as happy as possible. Some days Jasper would look over at the man sitting next to him and wonder how he had gotten so lucky. Edward was perfect for him, more than he could imagine and more than he deserved. He often lost himself in his thoughts of Edward.

And whenever he would voice his thoughts aloud, Edward would just smile at him and kiss him deeply.

And while he could never know for sure because reading minds was Edward's gift, he imagined that whenever he was thinking those thoughts about Edward, Edward was thinking them about him.

And he couldn't have been more right.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I hope you enjoyed how I ended it; let me know what you think. Thank you again for reading Love and War. I've enjoyed the ride and I hope you'll check out some of my other stories. _

_Thanks to everyone who has followed, favourited, and reviewed this story. It's been a joy and I'll miss my boys, but it's time. _

_Signing off, A.J. Kelly_


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